Til Death Do Us Part
by writerspassion18
Summary: Marriage proposal accepted? Check. Marriage license applied for? Check. Divorce from your first husband filed? Not exactly...
1. Licenses

"Oh this would be a lovely color, wouldn't it?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side as though that would help her make up her mind. "Maybe… Or perhaps this one?"

Ginny pursed her lips. "Possibility, but it's not too dark? Far be it from me to make the final decisions for _your_ wedding, but a summer ceremony should be lively."

"Yes, yes, you are right about that."

"What are you two doing?"

Hermione and Ginny turned away from the color palette a bridal boutique shoppe owner had loaned the bride-to-be. The new voice belonged to the future groom and Ron was leaning over the pair of women sitting on the sofa to take a look at their activities.

"Trying to figure out the right color for the bridesmaids gowns." Hermione answered him a smile. She was met with a bewildered look on Ron's face, however, as he stared at the color palette in her hands.

"Hermione, they're all pink."

"They are not!" Ginny scolded her brother as she snatched the palette from her friend's grasp and raised it closer to her brother's face. " _This_ one is pink, but this other one is blush, and this one's rose –oh, Hermione, rose! It's perfect!"

"Ginny, I think you're right!" Hermione exclaimed as she reached for the color palette back. "It's dark enough for my liking, but it still gives off that lively, summery feel you were talking about. That's the one!"

"Great, we can head back to the boutique tomorrow!"

"Absolutely. And now you know what color the inside of your tuxedo vest has to be." Hermione grinned to Ron. He stared from the palette to his fiancée's face repeatedly before he let the corners of his mouth tug upwards.

"Are you sure me and the guys can't wear dress robes?"

"No!" Hermione and Ginny shouted. That's why Ron had begun smiling. He knew what their reaction would be and he got a good kick out of it whenever he suggested something that would ruffle their feathers.

"You, Harry, Fred, and George should start your fittings early." Hermione told him. Ron took a deep breath knowing full well it would be futile to say this next bit, but he figured he'd give it a go anyway.

"Hermione, you do realize that the wedding's eight months away, right?"

"And the earlier we get these things taken care of-"

"The less hectic it'll be later on." Ron finished with a grin. Hermione shook her head at him and let a smile come to her lips as well.

"If you know what I'm going to say, why do you ask questions like these?"

"Because the way you snap back at me is oddly attractive."

Hermione laughed and welcomed a kiss from Ron before he walked off to find his best man somewhere in the house. She turned back to her beaming maid of honor who sighed in contentment as her gaze fluctuated between her brother and almost sister-in-law.

"I'm so happy for you both." Ginny said. "The two of you together is _long_ overdue."

"Gin, we've been together for a little over three years."

"That's not what I meant."

Hermione bit her lower lip and nodded. Yes, she knew what she meant. Sometimes she thought that this pending wedding meant more to everyone else around her than to her or Ron. She could understand why, although it still nerve-wrecked her whenever someone either outright brought it up or discreetly hinted at "the barrier" that had kept her and Ron apart all this time.

"Hey, have you guys seen Ron?" Harry asked as he rolled up to them. Ginny gave him a quizzical look.

"Ron didn't find you? Merlin, the house isn't _that_ big."

Harry shrugged. "Guess it's one more round I go to find him then. Oh, Hermione, this just came for you."

"Thanks, Harry." Hermione said appreciatively as she took the letter from him. While Harry walked off to continue his manhunt for Ron and Ginny moved onto looking at bridesmaid dress patterns instead of colors, Hermione was reading the brief letter sent by the Marriage Registration Department located in the Ministry of Magic.

"What does the letter say?"

"The Marriage Registration Department wants me to head down there. Preferably today, they added."

"Oh, your marriage license must be ready!" Ginny squealed excitedly. "I'm actually surprised they didn't ask you to come get it sooner. Didn't you and Ron file for that a month ago?"

"We did, but it doesn't matter now. So long as we can finally get it. I'll just find Ron and-"

"Eh, you'd better just go and get it yourself. If my husband and your fiancé can't find each other after they've been looking for the past ten minutes, you'd better not waste your time."

Hermione stifled a laugh. "Okay, fine, yes. Let him know where I've gone, alright?"

"Will do! And I'll have a slew of dress types for you to look over when you get back!"

 _Yes_. Hermione thought to herself as she grabbed her bag from the floor and headed to the fireplace. _Definitely more excited than Ron and I combined._ She took a satisfying breath as she dropped down enough Floo Powder and allowed the emerald flames to whisk her away to the public Floo hub not more than two blocks away from the Ministry. The illustrious building was buzzing with witches and wizards filtering in and out; some with complacent expressions on their faces while others were boldly wearing an invisible "kill me now" sign on their foreheads. Whatever ailed the latter group Hermione hoped things would look up for them as she continued her way past the crowd, into the lift, and to the appropriate floor that would take her to the Marriage Registration Department.

The last time she was here it was with Ron and it had taken them _ages_ to finally meet with a kind elderly witch who recognized them immediately. She was ecstatic, over the moon really, to be the one to issue _Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley_ a marriage license. It had been a decade since the war had ended and even now people still reacted to either she, Ron, or Harry with extreme gratitude for their efforts. This had been no different and it had also made filing for their marriage license an even longer process.

But now Hermione was here and she smiled broadly as she walked up to a wizard's window. "Hi, I'm here to pick up my marriage license?"

"Your name?"

"Hermione Granger,"

The wizard had had his glasses on top of his head. When they slipped down and fitted neatly over his eyes, his gaze lighted up and Hermione immediately felt her cheeks redden.

"Oh, Miss Granger! A pleasure, a right pleasure! You're getting married to Ronald Weasley, aren't you? Let me check on that license for you!"

"Thank you," Hermione said politely. The wizard disappeared from the window which afforded her the opportunity to realize that several pairs of eyes had darted in her direction. That only made her skin flush even further and she tapped her foot anxiously for the wizard to come back. After an agonizing two minutes, almost three, a door to her far left had opened. A pretty, middle-aged woman had walked out and, without closing the door behind her, had strode down the aisle until she was neatly by Hermione's side.

"Miss Granger, it's lovely to meet you. My name is Agnes Canterbury."

Ms. Canterbury reached out her hand to Hermione who took it cordially, but all the while with a confused look on her face.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Um...is there something wrong?"

"There's...a slight complication, yes. Would you mind following me to my office?"

Hermione frowned, but obliged anyway. She followed the witch down the aisle and back to the door which led them to a corridor filled with nothing but offices. Eventually they entered the last one at the end of the hall and both women took their respective seats –one behind the modestly-sized desk and the other, befuddled and sitting in a plush leather chair.

"You said there was a complication?" Hermione asked. "Did my fiancé and I fill out some of the paperwork incorrectly?"

"No, no, it has nothing to do with the particular marriage license that both you and Mr. Weasley filed. On the contrary, it would have been given to you the same week you had registered for it, but…"

"But?"

"A discrepancy came up." Ms. Canterbury said reluctantly. "We assumed that the discrepancy was a mistake and we were doing all that we could on our end to right it, but it doesn't seem to be working so we wanted to reach out to you."

Hermione felt her throat run dry. She wanted to say something, _anything_ , but did it matter? It shouldn't have mattered. It had been taken care of _years_ ago. So why would it matter now?

"We have in our records –and I do apologize for this," Ms. Canterbury said with a small chuckle. "That you're married to Mr. Draco Malfoy."

The witch was laughing now, however professional she was keeping it, and was obviously waiting for Hermione to join in. The laughter turned into an awkward one when she realized that she was the only one in a fit of hysterics. Ms. Canterbury stopped soon enough, her eyes growing wide at the young heroine bashfully running her right hand up her other arm.

"We took care of the divorce a long time ago." Hermione told her, trying her best to ignore the shocked expression the woman was giving her. "Why is this coming up?"

Ms. Canterbury blinked repeatedly as though to bring herself back. "Uh...well...uh… There's no divorce on record, Miss Granger. It shows here that the two of you are still married."

Hermione's eyes bulged. "Surely you must be joking!"

"I'm afraid not. There must have been a clerical error of some sort at the time of your filing. As it stands you are indeed married to Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione felt sick. Her head felt light and her body was stiff. _Still married…?_ _ **Still married?**_ How could this be? She and Draco went down to this same department four years ago to finalize their divorce and it had been assured to them that everything was set. That they were officially single. There had been no need for her to change her name as she had never changed it in the first place. It was fine. It was _supposed_ to be **fine**. And now "the barrier" that most people claimed to have kept her and Ron apart for a solid three years was back in their lives, keeping them apart yet again.

"Draco and I need a divorce _right now_." Hermione said quickly. "Ms. Canterbury, _**please**_."

"Well, as you know it's much easier getting married than getting divorced." Ms. Canterbury began as she rose from her seat to rifle through a cabinet drawer or two. "Wizarding marriages are considered binding-"

"Yes, yes, I know, and we did everything that we were supposed to."

Ms. Canterbury arched a brow. "You met with the marriage official who performed the ceremony in the first place?"

"Yes."

"And talked out your and Mr. Malfoy's differences with him?"

"Yes."

"And you... _broke_ the vows?"

Hermione frowned. She hated remembering that part. When witches and wizards got married, their vows were a connection of their hearts, and the magic imbued in a wedding ceremony made that connection very real. In a divorce it was the breaking of those vows, of that connection. When the marriage official went about it for her and Draco, it had been a rather...unbearable process. She literally felt her heart break.

"Yes." She said softly, her hand absentmindedly running over her chest. She looked up at Ms. Canterbury whose eyes had softened at the display. Hermione removed her hand and cupped it with the other. "And the only thing that was left was to sign the divorce papers, which we did."

"Well, it appears that those papers were never processed. You and Mr. Malfoy may be unlinked magically, but in the eyes of wizarding law, you're still Mrs. Malfoy."

Ms. Canterbury had finally stopped shuffling through her cabinet drawers and unrolled some parchment in front of Hermione. She recognized it as a new set of divorce papers. "Since you had managed to do everything else for the divorce, the signing of these will make it final."

"Oh, thank you." Hermione said with relief. She rolled up the parchment pieces and eagerly stuffed it into her bag. "Thank you so much. I'll sign these, have Draco sign them-"

Hermione paused. _Have Draco sign them…_ Her heart slowed just at the mere thought of it. She could very well tie the divorce papers to the leg of an owl and send it off, but she'd drive herself mad if she had. What if the owl lost them? What if something happened to the owl? What if Draco was away and it took the bird too long to reach him? And then to fly back? All of the negatives of sending the blessed parchment roll by owl were rolling around in her mind and she couldn't bring herself to do it. No more screw ups this time. She wanted to make sure these papers were _signed_ and as soon as possible.

She would have to go see Draco in person.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Hello! So my imagination went a little nuts and it spewed this out :). Please feel free to leave a review and I hope that you stick around to see how this mess plays out!

-WP


	2. Signatures

It was a late Friday afternoon, and as all Fridays (or any day really) when he found himself with nothing to do, Draco sat in his study with a book in his hands. He wanted to finish it by Monday so after a quick stop in London he could head to the local library, return the one he was reading, and pick out another. He did this every week –a habit he'd picked up somewhere around seven or so years ago. It kept him going, he had to admit, and he liked the twinge of excitement he felt when he knew he'd have a new volume to read as soon as the week began.

As Draco turned a page the magically amplified knocking on his front door was heard. Draco furrowed his brow. If anyone came to visit him they certainly would be using the Floo rather than standing at the door. And so, he patiently waited until one of his house elves went to answer it and brought the visitor to his study. It was a big house, and so he took back up his reading until he could hear footsteps nearing the room and finally stopping just outside the open door.

"Miss Hermione Granger, Master Malfoy."

Draco dropped his book. He stared at his ex-wife with wide eyes as she smiled awkwardly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and gently waving. "Hello, Draco."

He must've looked like a stag caught in the eyes by a strong _L_ _umos_ spell. Eventually, and perhaps not soon enough to avoid looking stupid, he blinked and came to his senses. He finally greeted her albeit in a not-so-pleasant sounding way.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione frowned. She continued to stand in the doorway as she fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves. "I came to ask for a favor."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "It's been years, and you've come, out of the blue and after all this time, for a _favor?_ "

"Four years is a long time, yes-"

"Five, but who's counting…"

"Yes, well, it's less of a favor and more of an obligation."

Draco was confused now as Hermione finally entered the study. She walked over to his large mahogany desk as she shuffled through some things in her bag that undoubtedly had an Undetectable Extension Charm placed on it. As she walked, he noted that she maneuvered the room that was covered in random bits of furniture –without bumping into anything –with extreme ease. As well she should. This used to be her favorite room and he hadn't changed a single thing about it since she left.

"I need you to sign these."

Draco looked down at the roll of parchment that had been set on his desk. He glanced up at her once before reaching over and unrolling it. He leaned his head forward closer to the parchment as he read over the title of the documents that she had presented him with.

"Divorce papers? But we signed these years ago." Draco said, one of his hands absentmindedly travelling across his chest. Hermione stifled a frown as her own heart fluttered.

"I know, but apparently there'd been a clerical error." Hermione mused bitterly. "The divorce never went through. I only found out because I went to pick up my marriage license yesterday and got denied."

Draco snapped his eyes away from the divorce papers and settled them on her left hand that was resting on the desk. There was in fact an engagement ring settled on her finger. He clicked his tongue at it, noting that it was at least two sizes smaller than the one he'd given her.

Must've been some poor bloke.

"Congratulations," He said unenthusiastically as he reached for a quill and some ink. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"I guess you don't peruse the announcement sections of the Daily Prophet." Hermione chuckled. "It's Ron."

The quill in Draco's hand had stopped in its journey to the parchment.

Ron.

 _Weasley._

 _ **Weasel.**_

Draco stared at her with his mouth slightly agape. " _Weasley?_ You're getting married to _Weasley?_ "

"Yes, I am. The papers?" Hermione urged with a gentle nod to the parchment. But Draco had completely blocked the divorce papers from his line of sight. He simply couldn't stop his eyes from moving between her face and the ring whose small size now made sense.

He let the quill fall from between his fingers and leaned back in his chair. " _Weasley?_ Seriously, Hermione?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. This was taking much longer than it needed to. " _Yes._ Can you just-?"

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione." Draco exclaimed as he stared at her. "Of all the wizards to come after me you chose Redhead _effing_ _ **Weasley**_ _?_ "

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and reached over the desk for the quill that had been absentmindedly discarded. She held it out to him with pleading eyes. "Sign the divorce papers, Draco."

Draco was now flickering his attention between the quill and the divorce papers in front of him. If it was just a regular divorce, fine. If it was so she could marry some intelligent, well-mannered, well-off, well-to-do wizard, then okay. But to sign away his ex-wife –no, his _wife_ –to the Weasel?

"No."

Hermione's face fell. "No?"

"No." Draco said again. "Just so you can marry Weasley? I don't think so."

Hermione stared at Draco like he'd gone mad. Surely he must have. She held the quill even tighter in her hand and pushed it even closer to his face. "Sign the papers."

"I said no."

Hermione slammed the quill down on the desk and Draco watched as it snapped in half and as his wife groaned in frustration. "Why not?! Draco, you thought that you were single for _four years_ -!"

"Five,"

" _Whatever!_ Doesn't this bother you? You should be jumping over the bloody moon!"

"And I would be were it not for the redhead problem."

"Redhead problem? _The redhead problem?!_ _You're_ the problem! Just sign-!"

"You deserve better than him." Draco said sternly. "Weasley can't handle you as a wife."

Hermione growled. "Oh, so I need to be handled?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then _**what**_ did you mean?"

"I mean that you're setting yourself up for a sorry excuse of a future. Insipid conversation, whining, crying…"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Don't go getting all high and mighty with me. We both know you've made me cry before."

"I have." Draco admitted. "But you can count those times on one hand. Can you do the same for Weasley?"

Hermione huffed, refusing to answer because it would only prove his point. "I'm a grown woman, Draco, and I can do what I want."

"Yes. And so can I."

Draco reached over for the divorce papers and lifted them up. Hermione was certain he was about to rip them to pieces, but he didn't. Instead he placed them in the top drawer of his desk and locked it shut. She watched him with utter rage shaking through her, but she wouldn't lash out. Instead she took long, deep breaths, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Please tell me that you've locked the divorce papers in your drawer because you're going to sign them later and owl them to me."

"No." He said once again in that determined tone. "You're not getting these back, signed or otherwise, anytime soon. You need time to think."

Hermione snatched her hand away from her nose and snarled. "Time to think about what?! I don't need time to think about anything! This is all about _you_! Were I getting married to anyone else you wouldn't be this bloody difficult."

"You're right, I wouldn't. But I want the best for you, Hermione. I once thought it was me, but we're the most volatile concoction on the planet. How we managed to last two years, I'll never figure out." Draco added with a laugh. "Regardless, you deserve the best, and Weasley's not it."

A sigh escaped Hermione's lips as she massaged her temples with rolling thumbs. This was Draco. Typical Draco. Always seeking out her protection in his own way however much it annoyed her to the core.

"I appreciate your care, Draco, however arse-backwards it may be. But my well-being, emotional or otherwise, isn't of your concern."

"I don't know." He shrugged, a lazy smirk scrawling onto his features. "Considering you're still my wife, I think it is my concern."

Hermione was moments from ripping her hair out. She knew her ex-husband –no, her _husband_ –well. He was a stubborn mule, just like herself, and when he made up his mind there was nothing that could be done to change it.

"Fine," She eventually finally gritted out. "I'll think about it as you say. But only if you do too."

Draco scrunched his brows together. "Think about what?"

"Why we wanted to get a divorce in the first place. Maybe then you'll realize that Ron is good for me, and you'll send me those papers _signed_ first thing in the morning."

Hermione turned on her heel then and stormed out of the study. A short few minutes later he impressively heard the front door slam, even from this distance. Against his better judgement, Draco did as Hermione said. He thought about what had contributed to their divorce and the answer turned out to be a combination of a lot of things. For one thing, just because he had loved Hermione and had married her, it didn't mean he wasn't still a prat. He still thought her hair was a bushy mess, that she was an utter Know-It-All, and that she was stubborn as hell. She read too much and too often. He was sick and tired of hearing her find the good in everyone and everything. And if he had to endure a rant about why he should set his house elves free just one more time (although he _had_ eventually let them go) he would have had to throttle her.

But it was the things that irritated him that he had grown to love. Had Hermione not done or been any of those things, well, she wouldn't have been Hermione. Draco supposed it had been the same for her or else she wouldn't have loved or married him either. He had still abhorred her friends –particularly _Weasley_ , who out of everyone in her circle tried to make her leave him on a near day-to-day basis. He had stopped calling muggleborns "mudbloods" long ago, but he still had a penchant for avoiding all muggle places and preferring to dine and shop at locations predominantly wizard owned.

But that was how they worked.

Hermione yelled at him. Draco yelled back. The screaming match would continue until the house was left in a deafening quiet. By the end of the night and depending on who was wrong, Hermione would roll over in bed and whisper an "I'm sorry," and proceeded to nuzzle her nose into his neck. Draco, too bold and proud to apologize, would go to one of the spare bedrooms she was sleeping in, stand in the doorway and say, "Come to bed?" Hermione would never accept, of course, and in his brusque manner and a cross of his arms he would say some variation of, "Do I honestly have to drag you?" That would do it. And both of their apologies would lead to a night of love-making and the subsequent forgetting of why they'd been upset in the first place.

Unknowingly, Draco began to smile. It faltered when his eyes caught sight of the drawer where the divorce papers lay. A particularly nasty row had taken place between them that had started the decline of their marriage. It had concerned children.

Potter's Missus had been expecting and it had kicked Hermione's need to mother someone into overdrive. Not once had they ever discussed having children. It probably would've been a good idea to have had that kind of talk _before_ getting married, but he had wanted her, she had wanted him, and that was as far into the future either of them had been seeing at the moment.

When Hermione had brought up the tentative subject of having kids, Draco had tensed up. He wanted them, he really did, but he just wasn't sure that it was a good idea to have them with _her_. And that was the worst thing he could've ever said. Hermione dug into him like termites into wood and Draco fought hard to defend himself. They already had enough time dealing with each other's friends and family as a couple. What about their kid? Hermione had argued with him, saying that it would only be his side of the family that would have an issue.

"Can't have a half-blood as a Malfoy heir, now can we?" She had taunted. "A mudblood for a wife is bad enough!"

That had made Draco furious, and it was that fight that had been the catalyst for everything. It brought up notions of being ashamed, of love not being enough, of prejudices, and questioning whether they could continue to make it together.

It'd been a long, hectic, and heartbreaking six months. Although it had been five years since then, everything about their breakup still felt very recent. Draco sighed then and frowned. Eventually he made up his mind about _exactly_ what he'd do about this divorce/getting remarried situation.

* * *

Hermione went home. She knew that Ron would still be at Harry and Ginny's, but she couldn't be around him right now. She needed to be alone. She needed _to think_ as Draco put it, but not necessarily about what he had wanted her to think on. And as her should-be ex-husband's face filtered to the forefront of her vision she let out an earth-shattering shout into the air. Had anyone heard her they'd think she was getting murdered. But surely she was dying, wasn't she? She was being emotionally tortured to death and it was slow and agonizing.

How dare Draco? How dare he presume to know what was best for her? Sure he may have known her for as long as Ron did, but did he _really_ know her? Taunts and other acts of bullying didn't qualify. He'd only begun getting close to her one year after the Battle of Hogwarts. Yes, they'd dated for a year, and yes they'd shared a marriage bed for two years, but that didn't mean he could so brashly tear down her choice in husband number two. And he _certainly_ couldn't compare himself to Ron! Looking back on it now, her marriage with Draco had been an utter disaster! They teased each other daily as though they were still schoolchildren. When they actually fought it was a terrible array of foul names until the silent treatment replaced their shouts. Sure, they always made up by the end of the day (a silent vow that they'd never go to bed angry), but no marriage should be wrought with as much turmoil as theirs had been. And sure, okay, being who he was and being who she was arguments were practically a guarantee, but it was only a matter a time before words were said that couldn't be taken back.

And that's what had happened.

It'd been awful. Really, _really_ awful. Couple that with the confirmation from friends and family (Ron, more specifically) Hermione realized that being with Draco was no good for her. No good for either of them. They both sat down together one night six months after the beginning of the slow death of their marriage. It was the most civil they'd been with each other as of late, and it was the one thing that had been the easiest to agree upon. But even then, Hermione did cry, alone, in one of the spare bedrooms that night. She had heard Draco doing the same some several feet down the hall.

* * *

 **Author's note:** First, let me just say THANK YOU for the response this story received after just one chapter. Normally I only post once a week, and typically on the same day, but after all the follows reviews, and favorites I couldn't help myself. Not to mention I love this chapter :). It's sweet when you have a story and Draco and Hermione are all gooey-eyed over each other. But sometimes, I just love it when they're at each other's throats haha. Their dynamic is so…unique that it makes writing oh-so interesting.

Now, as for the chapter, Draco's one stubborn man! What do you think? Jealous? Or maybe he just hates Ron with a boiling passion? I'll leave that up for you to decide.

Thanks for reading! And _maybe_ I'll post the next chapter on Thursday instead of waiting til next Monday :)

Until next time!

-WP


	3. Compromises

Hermione woke up entangled with Ron as she always did. It wasn't as sweet as it sounded. They were a mess of body parts –his arm resting awkwardly across her neck in an almost choking fashion, one of her legs curled back behind her and laying underneath one of his own, her hair fanned back and falling all over his face, and somehow a bit of drool from his mouth managing to drip onto the start of her back.

It was a hideously romantic sight.

As the sun rose higher in the sky Ron was beginning to wake up. Good then. Hermione _really_ had to use the bathroom. She smiled as she found the best way to easily extract herself from her fiancé, but when she finally did he was fully awake and wrapping his arms around her in a tighter hold.

"It's too early." Ron mumbled. Hermione held in her laugh and snuggled into his arms.

"It's always 'too early' for you."

"Then I don't know why you try to leave the bed before I'm awake."

Hermione pursed her lips and playfully hit his arm. "Maybe because I'm hungry? And maybe because I was going to head downstairs to make breakfast?"

"Breakfast?"

She could imagine the look on his face and she couldn't help her smile. "Mhmm. Ginny and I are heading to the boutique today. It's going to be a long afternoon, so I figured that I'd go all out. Pancakes, eggs, sausages, a bit of porridge –hey, what are you doing?"

The bed had shifted and Ron was sliding himself off of it. "Heading downstairs to the kitchen. Let's go."

 _Ah, yes, that would do it_. Hermione thought to herself, and she held in her elated gasp when Ron picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the bedroom, down the hall, and to the left where their open kitchen was. She was gracefully set onto her feet as he perched himself on a seat at the kitchen counter and watched her get to work. Most women would probably frown at the scene, but contrary to the way it looked, Ron would love to help her out as she moved about the kitchen. Hermione on the other hand had banned him from ever being in the kitchen after he'd burned his left hand and upper right arm somehow or another.

"Hey, what did you do with the marriage license?" Ron suddenly asked. Hermione broke the egg in her hand the moment he mentioned the license, but luckily the egg had been positioned over the frying pan. She swallowed deeply, happy that her face wasn't towards him.

"I, um… I passed by my mum and dad and asked them to hold onto it for us." She lied. She could feel the confusion on Ron's face, but she quickly doled out a false explanation. "The apartment is only going to become a mess within the next couple of months with all of the wedding things –color swatches, bridal subscriptions, finalizing the invitations –I'd just feel more comfortable if the license was kept away from the mess."

"If you think that's best." He replied with a shrug. "Ginny's got her living room floor covered in clipped out magazine pictures and it's not even her wedding."

Hermione laughed. Yes, that was the scene she and Ron had left the Potter house in late last night. Ginny had wanted to help her get a head start on various dress types so they could save time at the boutique later on that day. She even got James and Albus (who were four and two years old, respectively) to help out, although they did cause a bit more of a mess than anything else. Regardless, Hermione was quite glad for the help. Ginny _had_ had a wedding before after all, not to mention any type of party-planning was right up the redhead's alley.

"Here comes the morning mail. Right on time." Ron said as he spied the morning owl that always came through the charmed window exactly at eight in the morning. Hermione let him attend to the fallen pile and knew that the most of it would be for her. She'd begun subscribing to everything bridal from the moment she and Ron got engaged the month before. She'd also been contacting various venue owners and getting general information to run by Ron before the October's end. He had given her free reign to do any and everything she wanted for the wedding and he promised that he'd agree. "You deserve to get what you want," he had said, and so Hermione smiled broadly and ran with it.

"Hey, you've got a letter from work."

"On a Saturday?"

"Hard to believe there are people who work harder than you, huh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she reluctantly used her wand to keep the breakfast going. Anyone willing to owl her on a weekend insinuated some sort of chaos at the office so she figured that she would attend to it quickly. As her eyes roamed over the letter that had the Ministry seal at the back, her department's name, and her name on the front, her brows furrowed. It screamed a Ministry official letter, but Hermione knew better. Her gaze flitted up to Ron who was busily reading through the Daily Prophet for anything having to do with Quidditch. She risked opening the letter in front of him and scanned it quickly.

 _Iverson Square_

 _11am_

 _D._

Hermione supposed it was a good idea that Draco hadn't owled the divorce papers. She hadn't wanted to do it in the first place, so she was happy that he had come to the same conclusion. Sort of. This meant that she had to find a way to get away from Ron _and_ still be on time for Ginny since they were supposed to meet up in London at noon.

"I have to head to the Ministry for a bit." Hermione said as she folded the letter back and stuffed it into one of her pajama bottoms' pockets. "It shouldn't take very long –an hour at most. I can head there after breakfast."

Ron chuckled. "That department would fall apart without you."

"And why wouldn't it?" She grinned. "I created it anyway."

* * *

Iverson Square was a quaint little town with a population so small that everyone knew everyone else. Hermione and Draco used to spend a lot of time there because they had the best tea and pastry shoppe one could imagine. As she sat on a bench overlooking the entrance to the small park she thought she might pop into said tea and pastry shoppe, for old time's sake, when her chest began to ache.

Hermione frowned. Getting a divorce as a witch or wizard also had another nasty consequence, not to mention a long-lasting one. The heart always longed to be connected again. When she and Draco had broken their vows, the ensuing weeks were soul-crushing. She'd already felt terrible that her marriage with him had ended, and it didn't help that she felt like she was having a non-fatal heart attack. Hell, it _should_ have been fatal. The pain. The anxiety. The feeling that she would absolutely die without him. She almost ran back to him a few times because of it, but she _had_ to push through. And she did. Her broken heart had healed over time, but being back in Draco's presence, even for only one day, had brought the pain back.

Looking at Draco now as he grew closer, his hand gravitating to his chest every now again, Hermione knew that he had to be feeling the same. She sighed and stood.

"Forgery is a new one for you. How did you even know that I still worked at the Ministry?"

"Oh please," Draco said as he crossed his arms. "It took you forever to build up the Department for the Care and Protection of Magical Creatures. There wasn't a chance you'd abandon it."

He had a point.

"Fair enough. Alright, hand it over."

Draco cocked a brow at her and chuckled. "What, that's it? Straight down to business? Not even a bite at Eileen's Tea and Pastries first?"

"After how you carried on yesterday?" Hermione scoffed despite desperately wanting to bite into a scone. "I'm in no mood for pleasantries. Just give me the divorce papers and I'll be-"

"I don't have them."

"You...you, what?"

"I don't have them." Draco said again. "I meant what I said yesterday, and I doubt one night is enough time to think."

Hermione yanked on her hair and growled in frustration. Had she no control over her anger she would've pulled out her wand and hexed him right then and there. But what good would it do anyway? It'd certainly make her feel better, but the divorce papers still wouldn't be signed and she'd still be in her current sticky situation.

"Ugh, Draco, why do you see to torment me?" Hermione frowned viciously. "Despite the fact that we were getting a divorce, I was under the impression that you still loved me a great deal."

"And I did." He nodded. "Still do. That's why I can't let you make a mistake. Obviously any negative comments about Weasley will only make you cling to him that much harder, so I've settled on something else."

Hermione stared at him suspiciously. "Something else?"

"Yes. We're going to go see a marriage counselor."

"A marriage counselor?" She repeated with wide eyes. "Draco, you're mad. You're mad! You wouldn't even go to one when I suggested it four years ago-!"

"Five,-"

"And now you want to go see one? What the hell is that going to accomplish?"

"For one thing it'll put you one step closer to me signing those divorce papers."

That shut Hermione up. Draco resisted the urge to smile triumphantly and continued while she wasn't on the offensive.

"I do intend on signing them, Hermione." He said seriously. "I just want to make sure that when you're finally free of me that you're heading in a direction that's good for you. You were at your happiest with me. I know that. You know that. You feel so strongly about your relationship with Weasley? Test it. See if it measures up to ours."

Draco was baiting her. She knew it. It felt like a dare that if she didn't take would only prove that she didn't think her relationship with Ron would stand a chance. But did that matter? There had to be more than one way to push a divorce through without having the other party sign. With her brains and fierce determination she was sure that she could find it. But as she continued to stand there, staring at Draco's _smug face_ , she just couldn't bring herself to take that option. _"See if it measures up to ours,"_ he says. _"Test it,"_ he says. He thought that her relationship with Ron was nothing, ridiculous even, and Hermione refused to let Draco think that way.

Hermione took a deep, long breath before eventually nodding. "For how long?"

"However long it takes."

She bit back the urge to say something harsh. She only nodded before letting a smile form on her lips. "Fine. We can go see a marriage counselor. But it'll be one that _I_ choose."

Draco eyed her wearily. It wasn't often that she had such an evil gleam in her eye, but when she did, it was usually because she was planning something he wouldn't like.

"Deal,"

"It's settled then. I'll find one and give you the details as soon as possible. I'll see you then."

"Wait," Draco called as Hermione abruptly turned so she could head to the apparation spot. "Are you really in that much of a hurry? You don't want to head into Eileen's?"

 _Yes._

"No, I can't." Hermione told him. "I have to meet up with Ginny in a bit. Sorry."

"No worries. I'll just have to eat a strawberry scone with chocolate drizzle for you."

Hermione's face softened in pleasure at the idea of such a scone (as it was her favorite) and watched as Draco smiled broadly at her features. He bid her farewell with a slight nod of his head and walked away with his hands in pockets. She stared after him. A second later she scowled when he gave her a back wave as though he just _knew_ she would be watching.

Bloody typical.

* * *

"Can I see the sweetheart neckline dress? Chiffon fabric, please? Same length."

The dressmaker smiled contentedly as she waved her wand to adjust the rose-colored dress from its halter-type design and satin fabric into what Hermione had suggested. Hermione practically squealed with delight as it transformed and with a side-glance to Ginny both women were nodding in satisfaction.

The perfect bridesmaid's dress.

It made Hermione's choice in Ginny's maid of honor dress all the more easier. Same fabric, same neckline, just floor-length as opposed to the knee-length dress the bridesmaids would be wearing. At least that was one thing down. Dress fittings could be scheduled a bit later –perhaps next month –but at least Hermione didn't have to worry about this. Her wedding dress was the biggest headache at the moment, and despite Ginny's persistence, she wasn't up for it this afternoon. Especially not with thoughts of Draco running through her head.

Doing this after seeing him reminded Hermione of all the things she _didn't_ have when she and Draco had gotten married. No bridesmaids, no groomsmen, no maid of honor, no reception after. She didn't even have a wedding dress. She had worn a simple white dress she had had in her closet at the time and Draco had chosen a rather nice suit (albeit also from his closet at home). It had been a spur of the moment, almost-midnight decision after they had spent the day together reminiscing. Draco hadn't even properly proposed to her. They had been walking along, arms linked, and with his head cocked to one side as he looked at her lovingly he'd said, "Let's get married."

Hermione's response hadn't been very typical either. She had thought for a moment or two, cocked her head to one side as well, and said with a smile, "Alright. But I'm keeping my last name." Draco had agreed and they both went home to find wedding-appropriate attire. They found a nighttime chapel in a small wizarding town, had gotten married, and went home to start their lives as husband and wife. It was interesting to say the least and so… _them_.

And that's why she'd made plans concerning her blonde pest and knew _exactly_ how to handle this marriage counseling situation.

* * *

It'd been a little over one week since Draco had met up with Hermione and given her his conditions prior to signing the divorce papers. To be honest, he didn't think that she would give in so easily. It just wasn't like her. Maybe being with Weasley after all this time had dulled the fiery passion that he'd always loved about her? _That_ would certainly make sense. But as Draco thought about their few moments back in Iverson Square, and most certainly her outrage back in his study, he knew for a certain that that wasn't true. What tipped it off most for him was the way that she had looked when she said that she would be the one to find a marriage counselor for them.

The way she had looked.

The way she'd said it.

It hadn't sat very well with him then and after having the week to think about it, it still didn't. And now, after reading the letter she'd just sent him and staring twice as hard at the address of the marriage counselor she had contacted, that glint in her eye finally made sense.

"A muggle counselor?!" He hissed as he stood in front of his wife before a five-foot bricked building along a busy road. "You brought us to a _muggle_ counselor?!"

"Oh, untie your knickers, will you?" Hermione hissed back. Her eyes were narrow and her voice firm, but she was clearly enjoying herself at his expense. "The odds of us getting recognized is practically nothing by going to a muggle counselor. Had we not, whoever we would've seen would've been too star-struck to do his or her job properly."

Draco snorted. "Star-struck? Really, Hermione? And you tell me I'm full of myself."

Hermione shot him a glare as she led the way into the building and towards the elevator. "Just make sure you watch what you say. No need to have him think we're both mad if we start talking about magic."

"Right, of course, of course." Draco brooded as he watched the elevator door close and Hermione press three. "If we went to a wizard or witch we wouldn't have this problem!"

"Think of it as a lesson on how to restrain your mouth." Hermione grinned. "I'm sure even after all this time you could still use a bit of practice with that."

Draco scowled. Hermione was loving this, he knew. Her cocky grin. The way she eyed him every now again. The laugh that hummed in her throat. Yes, she enjoyed his extreme discomfort, and all he could think about as they left the elevator and walked down the corridor towards the _muggle marriage counselor's_ office, was one thing.

 _Well played, Hermione. Well,_ _ **bloody**_ _played._

* * *

 **Author's note:** This, among other chapters to come, made me laugh hysterically while writing. The things Hermione and Draco do to annoy each other –her making them go to a muggle marriage counselor, him back-waving while walking away because he _knew_ she'd be watching. It's the little things, but it's just great :)

Hope that you liked it! Also, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews. Your comments really are appreciated :)

-WP


	4. Dr Milligan

Hermione had gotten the name of a marriage counselor through one of the waitresses at one of her favorite muggle restaurants just outside of London. She and the waitress, Arlene, often talked and shared pleasantries while she was there and it was how the topic of the woman's marital problems often came about. Arlene had told her about a marriage counselor that she and her husband went to and how great of a help he was. Of course they still had their problems, but at least they weren't trying to kill each other. Hermione, on the other hand, wasn't trying to fix her and Draco's problems. In her mind they'd been divorced for four –no, _five_ years already and whatever problems they had didn't matter anymore. All she wanted was a marriage counselor that would piss Draco off, and going to a muggle one was fulfilling her dreams more than she could've imagined.

"Ah, right on time." The counselor said as he stood and greeted his new clients. "My name is Dr. Milligan."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Hermione and this is my _husband-_ " She nearly choked on the word. "Draco." Hermione shook his hand. She could tell that Draco very much didn't want to greet the man the same way she had, but he grit his teeth and did it anyway. "Thank you so much for seeing us."

"Of course, of course. Now, before we get started let's get the counseling session terms understood, shall we? The first session is always free, and if you both decide to continue it'll be one hundred fifty pounds per session. Typically there's only one session per week, and you can decide if you'd like to keep them on Tuesdays or a different day. A few of these sessions will also be solo ones, but those won't happen until much later. Sessions will be question and answer and there'll also be a few assignments along the way-"

"Assignments?" Draco questioned. Dr. Milligan nodded.

"Activities for you and your wife to take part in outside of my office."

"I see." Draco began to smile while Hermione felt her stomach clench. She wondered just what those _assignments_ would be.

"So, unless either of you have questions, let's begin. How long have you been married?"

"Two years,"

"Seven years,"

Dr. Milligan stared between his clients who were both staring at each other. Hermione sighed.

"Technically speaking," she explained. "It's been seven. We filed for divorce four years ago-"

" _Five_ ,"

"Right, _five_ years ago, but apparently it never went through. We'd only been married and living together as such for two."

"Hmm, I see. If you've been separated for that long already, why see me? Why not just register for a divorce again?"

Hermione scowled. "Blackmail-"

Draco cut her off with a laugh. "What my wife _meant_ to say, was that we wanted to see if some time apart did us some good before we went and registered for divorce again."

"Oh, well I can see how you'd want to do that." Dr. Milligan nodded. "In fact, many couples find that some time apart allows them to reflect on what they love and miss most about their significant others. Gives them some motivation to work things out."

Hermione snorted.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Sorry," Hermione apologized. "This was more his idea than mine and believe me when I say that our time apart has _not_ given me motivation to work anything out with him."

"None whatsoever?"

"How could she?" Draco asked with his face fixed in a scowl. "She was distracted by a bloody redhead."

Dr. Milligan cocked a brow. "You've been dating someone, Hermione?"

"I was for about three years, yes. I'm not seeing him anymore." Hermione lied. She missed the quizzical look Draco was giving her, nor did she see when he looked at her hands. Her engagement ring was still present, but it was on her right hand instead of her left.

 _Interesting._

"Oh. And after five years of supposed divorce this bothers you?" Dr. Milligan asked Draco.

"Let's put it this way," Draco began as he settled himself more comfortably on the long sofa. "If her _ex_ suddenly fell into a ten-foot deep ditch and I saw it happen, I'd pull up a chair with tea and a pastry and watch him suffer all bloody day and night."

"Draco!"

"Hey, he asked."

"Can I assume then that you knew her ex personally?"

"We all went to boarding school together." Hermione explained, still shooting daggers at Draco. "Draco had never liked him then either."

"Boarding school?" Dr. Milligan interjected. He grinned. "I went to boarding school. Which one did you go to?"

"Yes, Hermione," Draco said spitefully as he twisted his body to look at her better. "Do tell him which _school_ we went to."

 _Damn._ Clearly, as bright as she was, she hadn't thought that one through. _Which one did my cousin go to? Whitmore? Wilshire? Wolman?_

"Wellington College,"

"Oh, I went there!"

 _Merlin…_

"Y-you did?"

Dr. Milligan nodded. "Class of 1990, which I'm sure is before either of you got there. Tell me, was Headmaster Gordon's annoying pet bird still flying around the dining hall during meals?"

"Um, well-"

"Sorry, you don't have to answer that." Dr. Milligan interrupted. "There'll be plenty of time to talk about non-counseling matters later. So, back to you and Draco-"

Hermione let out a sigh of relief.

"-You had been friends since school then?"

Dr. Milligan was surprised at the laughter that erupted in the room. Both of his clients were laughing hysterically, even going as far as wiping tears that had fallen from their eyes.

"Ron, my ex, he and I were friends."

"I was just the bully that tortured the hell out of them."

"You'd still torture Ron if the opportunity presented itself."

"Damn right."

"Well, that's interesting enough." Dr. Milligan chuckled as he took in the bright, smiling faces staring at him. "Why don't we talk about it then? Your time at school together and what your relationship was like."

Draco's smile only grew bigger as he rested his hands behind his head. "You might want to cancel whatever appointment is coming after us then. That's going to take a while."

"And that's what the second session would be for."

* * *

"Admit it." Hermione said once the session was over and she and Draco were in the elevator to take them back to the ground floor. "You liked Dr. Milligan."

Draco shrugged. "He's alright. For a muggle…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How on earth could you still be so insufferable concerning muggle and muggleborn matters?"

"Mal-foy. Does that explain it for you?"

Unfortunately it did. The two of them made it to the ground floor and exited the building. They walked silently to the apparation spot until Hermione brought up a topic that she knew would make the vein in Draco's neck throb.

"Obviously this one session won't suffice for you and you'll want another. You have to set up a payment plan with him."

Draco stopped walking. " _Excuse me?_ Don't you mean _we?_ "

Hermione pursed her lips and shook her head. "No. I meant you."

 _There goes the vein._

"I'm _not_ paying for this bloody thing myself."

"Well, Draco, as I recall I didn't want to go to this 'bloody thing' in the first place. It was your idea. You pay for it."

Draco huffed. "Oh yeah, sure. I'll just head to my muggle bank, no problem. You're talking to a wizard remember?!"

"Oh yes, I do. And that's why there's a wizard currency exchange booth we passed just a block back." Hermione beamed at him. "You can withdraw from your Gringotts vault as though you were standing right in front of it and the money will _instantly_ turn into muggle money! Isn't that great?"

Were Draco a dragon Hermione was sure he'd be breathing fire right about now. He opened his mouth to speak several times, each time failing miserably and possibly growing redder in the face the longer he stared at his wife's triumphant expression.

"Hell," He swore as he scowled deeply. "If I didn't still love you a little I'd throttle you."

Hermione was showing teeth now as she lightly tapped his arm affectionately. "The feeling's mutual, love. Don't forget to make financial arrangements with Dr. Milligan. I'll see you next Tuesday."

With that Hermione walked off, daring to give him the same back wave he had just a little over a week ago. Even from this distance, she was sure she could feel the heat of his rage. It was in that moment she realized the _one_ thing she missed from their marriage:

Annoying the hell out of him.

* * *

"Oh, well now Cressida that certainly can't do." Hermione frowned as she stared at the holographic form of the Head of the Wizarding Law Department. "If Lawson is too sick to work the case then it _has_ to get pushed back."

"I agree with you, Hermione. I really do, but Pricely," Cressida said with a foul contortion of her face as she said the name. "Refuses to push back the date. He said it's Thursday or your client's case gets thrown out completely."

Hermione groaned and yanked on her hair. "Were it for any other case he would've pushed it back ten years while all I'm asking for is one week."

"I know. I really am sorry, Hermione. I'm still looking for a replacement representative to fill in for Lawson; someone competent enough to go through his notes and present the case like it was their own." Cressida began to smile coyly. "Too bad you don't work for us. I would've chosen you in a heartbeat."

Hermione grinned. "Don't make me consider switching positions, Cressida."

Cressida laughed. "And leave your life's work behind? You never would. I'll keep up things here on my end and message you with whatever I find."

"Great. Oh! I won't be able to respond until the morning. Can you send a speed owl to my apartment instead?"

"Sure, but I'm confused." Cressida crossed her arms and chuckled. "Is the infamous workaholic actually leaving the office _early?_ "

Hermione rolled her eyes and kept her flushing cheeks at bay. "Yes, and I'll be doing just that every Tuesday for a while. In case someone's forgotten I _am_ getting married next year, and I need to plan."

"How could I forget? It's all anyone talks about in this place." Cressida rolled her own eyes. "I'll talk to you tomorrow then. Have fun with the wedding plans!"

Hermione thanked her and watched as the holographic form of her friend and often work accomplice disappear. Once she was, Hermione could do nothing but frown at the massive lie she'd just told. She and Draco had settled on Tuesdays to be their counseling days and would head to Dr. Milligan's office for their three o'clock one-hour appointment. Seeing as she worked from eight in the morning until five in the evening, that still left one hour she was supposed to be at work. Luckily Ron's work schedule was two hours later than her own, and so she could avoid the awkward, "Where are you going?" if he ever had the time to leave the office with her.

The clock that hung near her office door read two-forty-five. Hermione gathered her things, made sure her office was in a neat condition, and then headed towards the Floo. Another reason she had chosen Dr. Milligan's office was because there was a small Floo station about five or so blocks away from his office. It was honestly the most convenient muggle location she'd been to aside from London.

The walk to Dr. Milligan's office was a calm and relaxing one to say the least. It was just what she needed because the moment she had stepped into the room, spying Draco already there and idly polishing his nails by rubbing them on his shirt, she remembered that this meeting wasn't a delightful chat. This was a counseling session. A counseling session that she'd been blackmailed into. All because of a jealous should-be ex-husband who had the answer to her salvation right in his bloody lounge desk at home.

"Are you alright, Hermione?"

Hermione snapped her eyes to Dr. Milligan who was staring at her with concern. She cleared her throat and politely smiled. "Oh yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

She closed the door behind her and sat down at the opposite end of the sofa much like at the previous session. She and Draco greeted with curt nods before their one hour began.

"Well, I'm glad that you both decided to resume the sessions."

"Oh, I'm sure." Draco said rudely. "I just gave you a check for the next bloody month."

"Draco, stop that." Hermione chided. She then turned back to Dr. Milligan and said as sweetly as possible, "Sorry about that. In case you didn't realize it from our last session, my husband can be an arse."

Draco side-glanced at her and smirked. "And yet you still married me. Your taste in men is terrible."

"While your taste in women is exquisite." Hermione grinned. Draco rolled his eyes but his smirk morphed into a full smile despite trying to hide it. Dr. Milligan watched the exchange intently but didn't dare write any notes on it.

"Well, while we're on that topic." He began. "We talked quite a bit about your time in school together last week. Quite frankly, I'm surprised at how the both you managed to start dating considering your history."

"So am I." Draco chuckled. "To be honest, I have no idea how it happened."

"Neither do I." Hermione admitted. "It just…did."

"While it may seem that way, there must have been a moment, some…sort of catalyst that got the two of you talking at least."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other.

"The Leaky – _that pub?_ " Hermione suggested after fixing her near mistake. Draco rubbed the back of his head and shrugged.

"I suppose. Granted you did slap me at the end."

"But we didn't stop talking afterwards. So, I'd say that's it." Hermione turned to Dr. Milligan. "I'd had a fight with one of my friends that night-"

"Her current _ex_ ," Draco clarified. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before continuing.

"I went to a pub that night and Draco just so happened to be there. He was already well on his way to being drunk, so I imagine that's the reason he started talking to me in the first place. The talk hadn't ended well."

"She's always had a thing about hitting me in the face. Mind you, Dr. Milligan, I didn't and still don't regret a single thing I'd said about the bastard-"

"Draco-!"

"But I ambushed her as she was heading into a pastry restaurant in Iverson Square the next day to apologize."

Dr. Milligan furrowed his brow. "If you didn't regret what you'd said then why did you apologize?"

Draco shrugged. "She was _really_ mad at me."

"And…?"

"That's just not what we do. We have breaking points, and that day…she'd hit it, and I couldn't leave it like that."

Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on her and she couldn't help but look at him. She'd always wondered why he had gone to apologize to her that day. He had had no reason to, but now it seemed that he did. She smiled at him with a small nod before turning back to their counselor.

"Like I said, we didn't stop talking after that." She told him. "Neither one of us were reading much into what we were doing. Lunch here, dinner there-"

"There was that time we went dancing."

"Oh, please don't remind me about that."

"I wasn't talking about that."

"Oh."

Hermione felt herself blush. She'd almost forgotten about _that_ , and it was clear that Dr. Milligan was waiting to hear what "that" had actually entailed. She sighed, "Draco had bribed me."

Dr. Milligan frowned. "He what?"

"Bribed," Draco repeated for him. "She was an absolute bookworm –still is, I'm sure –and I had a volume that she'd been dying to get her hands on for ages. Very exclusive stuff. I told her she could get it, but she had to come my Manor to do just that."

Yes, she did. That night had been a long forgotten memory until now, and it was the first time that she had truly fallen for his charm. The book in question had been in his library, but the snake that he was had done a bit of magic so that she couldn't get it. That magic in particular kept the book lodged in its place on its shelf until three songs had been played. Easy enough, but Draco had wanted her to dance with him. The real night they had gone dancing, there had been very little of it because, as Hermione had told him repeatedly, she didn't dance. But right then there had been no excuses. The music wasn't fast, and there were no spectators. Just him and her.

She kept her smile to herself. "We danced."

"And you kissed me."

"And then you wouldn't let me leave."

Draco turned to her, clearly not missing that smile she was trying to hold back. "I believe you stayed on your own." He smiled smugly then, clearly relishing in what he was about to say next. "It was the next morning when I didn't let you leave."

Dr. Milligan sat quietly. It was times like these when he wished he recorded his sessions.

* * *

 **Author's note:** I absolutely _adore_ these counseling sessions haha. You'll get to find out more about Hermione and Draco's marriage this way, and of course, the banter is always fun :).

Once again a HUGE THANKS to every who's been reading. Because of you, I've decided to post twice a week, Sundays and Thursdays. With all of your crazy support, it would be terrible of me to make you wait forever :D

-WP


	5. Homework

"Alright, Hermione. How about you tell me what's your fondest memory of Draco."

Hermione had been zoning out a bit, but had been promptly brought back to her and Draco's counseling session with Dr. Milligan's question. This was their fourth one, and out of all the questions he'd asked so far, this one made her want to snort the loudest. Fondest memory? Was he kidding? All she could think of was how much she hated him right now for making their situation much more difficult than it needed to be. And how she thought she could get rid of him quickly, but wasn't. And how Ron thought their marriage license was at her parents' house. And how she was now competing for the biggest liar award.

Hermione sighed to stop her mental rant. To answer Dr. Milligan's question she dug as far back as she could remember, before all of this nonsense started going on. As she went further and further into her memory banks that's when it clicked.

"When I was thirteen and I punched him in the face."

Dr. Milligan fumbled his pen and caught it before it hit the floor. "I'm sorry, but…punched him in the face?"

Hermione nodded. "That's right. If I don't say so myself, it was a wonderful hit right in the middle of it."

"And that's your _fondest_ memory of him?"

"Yes," Hermione grinned, turning her head slightly to see Draco grinning just the same and passing a hand right over where she'd hit all those years go.

"I told you she's got a thing for hitting me." Draco chuckled.

Dr. Milligan thought she was mad, she knew, but it really was the happiest memory she had of Draco. Even to this day when she was having a rough moment she'd travel back to that time and just laugh.

"And you, Draco? Your fondest memory?"

"Oh, well that's easy." He smiled broadly. "It was the time I made her teeth grow-" Draco stopped, realizing what he was about to say and quickly cleared his throat. "I put ink in her tea and made her teeth blacker than coal."

It was a lie, of course, but Hermione knew well enough that he meant the time he hexed her so her teeth would grow to epic proportions.

The counselor looked mortified. "Are you _sure_ that's your fondest memory of Hermione?"

"Of course," Draco said smugly. "That was my greatest work."

"O…kay." Dr. Milligan said with a scratch of his head. He jotted down a note on his writing pad before setting it aside. "Well, that pretty much covers it for today except for one final thing. As I said in the beginning there would be a few 'assignments,' so to speak, outside of these sessions. Time has come for one of those assignments. I'd like for the both of you to recreate your first date. Your first _official_ date."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. Draco, on the other hand, could barely contain his laughter. "I'm sorry Dr. Milligan, but we just _cannot_ do that."

"If you have reservations about doing this, I understand. I've had other clients who-"

"No," Draco interrupted, a laugh still on his lips. "She literally means that we can't do it. I doubt we'd be welcome back there anyway. We left that place in shambles."

"Sh-shambles?"

Draco was laughing loud and strong yet again. "Shambles, yes. It all started when I petrified the waiter."

Hermione wished she could _petrify_ Draco right then and there. How could he say that? In front of a muggle! Luckily the spell was also a common word in the English language and Dr. Milligan simply stared at her husband in disbelief.

"Well, um...that's interesting." He cleared his throat and smiled nervously. "It's been quite a few years. I'm sure it would be alright if you went back. Perhaps this time you could try _not_ to scare off the waiter?"

Draco grinned in a sly fashion, neatly crossing his ankle over his knee in the process. "So long as there's no flirting with my wife, sure."

"There hadn't been any flirting." Hermione gritted between her teeth. "You simply can't tell the difference between flirting and a normal conversation."

"Hell, if that was a normal conversation then my flirting with you must've been the best sexual experience of your life."

Hermione's eyes grew to saucers, but before anything damaging could be said Dr. Milligan stood and politely pointed to the clock, stating that their one hour had just ended. Hermione rose from her seat, said her goodbyes to him, and was the first one out of the office. She hadn't gotten very far before Draco strolled up behind her as she waited in front of the elevator. He could see how tightly she was clamping down on her teeth and he enjoyed the happy flutter in his chest at the sight as they stepped inside.

"Draco, you know we can't go back to that restaurant." She said once the doors closed. He eyed her before rolling his eyes.

"Oh come on, Hermione, the muggle was right. It's been nine years since we were there. So what if we – _I_ broke a few tables and a chair or two-"

"I'm not talking about that. I mean the fact that that restaurant isn't some hush-hush place in the middle of nowhere. It's a posh and _extremely_ well-known wizarding restaurant. We'll be noticed, and I doubt my _fiancé_ would be very happy that I'm having dinner with my ex-husband!"

"Husband," Draco corrected. "And hence where magical capabilities come into play." He added as he patted the pocket where his wand was. The elevator doors opened and they both walked out and headed into the evening air. "We'll disguise ourselves. A hair and eye-color change here and there, facial hair on my part, and no one will know who we are."

" _Draco_ ,"

"What? What's wrong with it?" He challenged. "Unless of course you're scared."

Hermione huffed. "Scared of what, may I ask?"

"Why, rekindling the romance, of course."

Hermione let an unladylike snort escape her as she put her hands on her hips. "You wish."

"Fine. Dinner tomorrow at eight."

"Can't. Ron and I always have dinner at the restaurant of my choice on Wednesday nights."

Draco crinkled his face in disgust. "You have scheduled dinners? Aren't you two buckets of spontaneity..."

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she began tapping her foot impatiently. " _Pick a day_."

"Thursday,"

"Wedding dress hunting,"

"Friday,"

"Venue picking,"

"Saturday,"

" _Reception_ venue picking,"

"Sunday?"

"A recurring dinner with Ron's family,"

"Bloody hell, woman!" Draco exclaimed exasperatedly. " _Tonight_ then."

Hermione stared at him blankly. "Tonight?"

"Yes, tonight. And don't you dare tell me that you have something to do because it's pretty obvious that you clear out your schedule on Tuesdays."

Hermione's bottom lip was between her teeth. He was right. Aside from leaving early on Tuesdays she'd also told a few fibs (that tortured her horrendously) to cover herself so she wouldn't be bothered until six in the evening when Ron got off of work. But that was six. Draco was talking about dinner at eight. What could she possibly say or do to sneak away? With a sigh, a deep desire to stop Draco from staring at her, and deciding she would simply have to come up with something, she relented.

"Fine. We'll meet there at eight. Wear a flower in your breast pocket or something so I know it's you."

"How cliché," Draco huffed. "But fine, and only if you wear that little black number you wore on that same date."

Hermione felt the corner of her mouth twitch. "Who told you that I still had it?"

"Why wouldn't you?" He came back at her, his own corners giving a pull of their own. "You wouldn't throw away the first thing I ever bought you, would you?"

No, she wouldn't.

"You have to wear the same suit." Hermione replied. Draco tilted his head to her in acceptance and slowly began to back away from her and towards the apparation spot.

"See you at eight."

* * *

Hermione had her closet organized in a very anal manner. On one side of the large, magically expanded walk-in closet held all of her "professional wear" that she put on in the mornings before heading to the Ministry. The other side was quite the opposite, but her clothes ranged from being plain and boring –the type she'd put on if she was just heading out for a quick errand –and more classy, date-worthy outfits. It was the latter that Hermione travelled into the closet to and picked out the very last dress.

As Draco had said, it was black. It wasn't a particularly amazing dress either as it had no sort of pattern whatsoever. There wasn't even a neckline. The dress decently covered her front, right up to the neck like a turtleneck sweater. The back of the dress made up for the lack of cleavage, however, seeing as there was barely a back at all. It was like someone had taken a pair of well-sharpened scissors and cut it out, the dress coming back together at the curve of her back at least two inches above where her bottom began.

Hermione remembered when she'd been given the dress. It was the day after her and Draco's first kiss and the night they'd slept together. It'd been a bit backwards, yes, but Draco asked her out for their first real date that morning, and while she slept off their "active" night, he'd gone out shopping. She woke up to the dress in a neat little box on the night stand with black pumps to go along with it.

She'd only worn the dress a few times –three to be precise, and all on the anniversary of their first date. Now here she was again, smoothing out the dress over her body and positioning the mirror on the back of her bedroom door and the one she'd conjured so she could take a look at her backside. Hermione smiled. At least she still looked good in it.

"Hermione?!" Ron's voice rang throughout the apartment.

"Oh!"

Hermione practically ripped the dress off of her and stuffed it into her handbag. With her wand in hand she dressed in a regular blouse and denims and then used it to make everything else she'd need for the evening to join the dress. One of two pairs of earrings had just made it into the bag when the bedroom door opened.

"Hey, didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Sorry, Ron." She apologized as she walked over and gave him a welcome home kiss and hug. "I was just on the phone with my mum."

"I still don't understand how those bloody muggle things work." Ron crinkled his nose. He eyed the cellphone on the bed and Hermione smiled.

"If you'd let me teach you how to use it then you would. You're going to have to learn how to use the landline once we get that too."

Ron frowned. "Do we really need-?"

Hermione placed her hands on her hips. "We've already discussed this. My parents can't have-"

"Constant owls flying in and out of their neighborhood." He finished. "Yeah, I know. So, what did you and your mum talk about?"

"Well, as it turns out, she misses her little girl."

Ron grinned. "Mother-daughter night, huh?"

Hermione nodded, instant guilt welling up inside. "I should be back before you turn in for bed."

"You're a grown woman spending time with your mother." Ron said as he pulled her close. "You don't have to give yourself a curfew."

"I know." Hermione replied as she hugged him. She nuzzled her nose into his neck and took in his cologne. She'd never particularly liked it, but it was just so… _Ron_ that she'd grown to appreciate it. She pulled back and cupped his face with her hands. "Just thought I'd be courteous, you know?"

"And that's one of the things I love about you. Always thinking of others. Now go on, get out of here. If I'm asleep wake me when you get back."

Hermione nodded and gathered her bag and cellphone. She gave Ron another kiss and soon was heading out of the front door. As she stood and waited for the taxi that she had called for, she felt absolutely guilt-ridden. She had never so blatantly lied to Ron like that before. This was a man she loved, someone who loved her back with all of his heart and trusted her. He fully believed that she would be spending the evening with her mother when she was going on a date. A bloody _date!_ She sighed bitterly and entered the taxi once it pulled up in front of her apartment building.

There was a slight truth to what Hermione had told Ron, and it was that she was going to see her mother. She needed somewhere to change and she obviously wasn't about to head over to Harry and Ginny's. Undoubtedly her mother would have questions, but she hoped that she could convince the elder Granger that she was going to a business dinner.

" _In that?_ " Mrs. Granger said with her mouth slightly agape.

Hermione blushed furiously as she slipped on her coat. It was November now and the dress she was wearing certainly wasn't suited for it. Her mother continued to eye her daughter suspiciously while said daughter tried to distract herself by touching up her make-up in the mirror. It would all have to be re-touched, of course. She still had to disguise herself properly, but she couldn't very well do it with her mother staring at her like she'd lost her marbles.

"It's a male client, mum." Hermione explained, although it still sounded quite heinous. "And where we're going is a sort of pub and lounge combination. My dress is completely appropriate for it, I promise you."

"Hermione Jean Granger, I'm shocked that you would accept such a dinner invitation if _that's_ what's expected of you." Her mother admonished. "You should've declined. At very least you should've suggested a different venue!"

"I tried, mum, I really did, but this was the only option. It's only one dinner. Please don't give me that look."

Hermione turned to her mother and cupped her hands together in a praying fashion. Mrs. Granger stared at her daughter with pursed lips and let out a long-held breath.

"Fine. It's no wonder you came here to get ready. Ron would have a fit!"

"Oh, he'd have more than that, I assure you." Hermione mumbled. With a final look in the mirror at her face, she turned to her mother once more who was giving her a very "mother" look. She smiled and pulled her mother into a hug. "It's just a dinner, mum. Nothing forward will happen. I swear on every book I own."

"Better not." Mrs. Granger said as she hugged her back. "Just because you're an adult, don't think that I won't still ground you."

Hermione laughed as she pulled away. "Yes, mum. I'll call you early Thursday morning to let you know where to meet me for my dress hunt."

"Alright, dear."

* * *

 **Author's note:** Mrs. Granger is so cute haha. There are several things I love about this chapter. Perhaps my favorite is when Dr. Milligan asked about their "fondest" memories. Hermione and Draco have an interesting sense of fondness, don't they?

Thanks for reading! Once again, you all are fantastic.

(And on another note, I REALLY want Hermione's dress!)

-WP


	6. Madeleine's

Hermione spent money on another taxi to take her to the closet apparation spot. She stood in the alley before she disapparated and fished out a small mirror that she let hover in the air. With her wand in hand she set to work. Her eyes she made green and smiled at the fact that it would probably irritate Draco to no end. Her hair she lightened to a dark blonde, she added freckles (another thing that would make him fret), and she also added a more pointed chin. Once she was satisfied, she put her mirror away in her black clutch purse and disapparated.

Hermione tucked her wand away and carried her purse in her hands as she walked out of a different alley and down a busy street. The restaurant, _Madeline's_ , was in the rather expensive district of wizarding London but completely worth breaking your wallet for. Excellent service. Excellent food. Excellent atmosphere. If you wanted to eat there a reservation had to be made at the very _least_ one month in advance. It was a shame that she was now thinking of this, because without Draco's name-dropping it was doubtful they could skip the line and get a table –much like how they'd done during their first date.

As the restaurant came into view, so did a man with a rose in the breast pocket of his jacket. Hermione smiled. Despite this not being a real date, she really did wish that Draco didn't have to be in disguise as his new face didn't fit very well with his suit. He'd made no alterations to his body, however, and the suit fit him just as well as it did when she'd first seen it on him. And yes, it did look amazing on him. Dark navy blue and easily mistakable for black, the suit jacket was tailor-made to fit his form snugly, but not too tight. His slacks were neat and pressed, his white button-up shirt just the same –sans tie, and not buttoned up all the way, but rather the first few buttons undone and the shirt opened slightly.

"Draco," Hermione said quietly as she approached him. He looked down at the disguised witch with blue eyes and huffed as he ran his hand over a brown, neatly-tended-to five o'clock shadow.

"Green eyes and bloody freckles. Did you _really_ have to do that?"

Hermione giggled. "For that reaction? Yes, I did."

"Of course you did." Draco shook his head at her as he held the door to the restaurant open. "After you."

She hesitated for a moment, knowing full-well that by going in front of him Draco would be able to enjoy the view. Hermione stared at him, his pleasure evident, and she sucked her teeth as she went through the door. She knew his eyes were roaming every inch of her and she tried her best not to feel self-conscious.

They walked up to the hostess with Draco taking the front and flashed a winning smile. "Good evening, Miss. We should have a table reserved for David and Annabeth Hotly. It'll be under the name Malfoy."

Hermione snapped her gaze away from the hostess quickly, but Draco didn't meet hers. He simply watched as the hostess waved her wand over her guest list and smiling when she found the reservation.

"Ah, yes, here it is. Mr. Malfoy wanted me to inform you that you're welcome to purchase anything you'd like. Your dinner is completely on his tab."

"Oh, well that's very kind of him." Draco said politely, finally catching Hermione's stare and then winking discretely. She kept any derisive comments to herself and followed the hostess to where they'd be sitting.

"So, how exactly did you pull that one off?" Hermione asked as Draco pulled out her chair before sitting down himself.

"Well, after doing a thorough background check on the place, I found out it's under new management. I figured it was safe to show my face, so I came and made a reservation for two _very important_ clients of mine with clear instructions to treat them like royalty."

"Nice move," She chuckled as a basket full of bread appeared on the table. She took one and placed it on a small plate before her and then took a look at the room she was in.

Although Hermione had never been one for anything flashy, _Madeline's_ was the exception. The restaurant positively shined with its gold walls with a glistening mahogany trim and massive chandeliers floating above them. The tables were covered in a deep, cream-colored tablecloth and gold candles hovered a few centimeters above the table in small, round, chocolate dishes. They were the aspects of _Madeline's_ that she liked the best seeing as the candles hovered a little higher or lower depending on whether or not a diner was reaching his or her hand towards the middle of the table. A small touch, but quite a good one.

As Hermione continued to look around she spotted where the waiters came in and out from. All at once she felt uneasy. She knew that she looked different, but her gut didn't seem to comprehend that and so the subtle, yet atrocious habit of biting of her nails began.

"Will you stop looking so anxious?" Draco chided. "I highly doubt the waiter from nine years ago is still here. And if he is then that's just sad."

"Draco!" Hermione admonished in a harsh whisper that only he could hear. He only shook his head at her as he buttered some bread. She sighed. "I know we're supposed to be recreating this date and everything, but please promise me to be on your best behavior."

"So long as everyone else is."

Hermione groaned, but instead of stifling him it only spurred Draco's rant on further.

"You know good and well that night wasn't my fault."

"Not your…? As you so blatantly told Dr. Milligan today, you petrified the waiter!"

"He was gawking at you like he'd never seen a woman before!"

"He was taking our orders, Draco. He had to look at me at some point!"

"Look, yes. Stare you down like he wanted to devour you, no! You obviously didn't notice."

"Well, I suppose not. I was too distracted that night anyway."

"By what?"

"By you, of course."

"Me?"

Hermione averted her eyes. She kept them firmly on the menu although she could feel the heat of Draco's stare. "Yes. I...I'd never really seen you in a suit before and... Well, you had looked nice."

"Oh,"

The silence that ensued was killing her. To distract herself she merely kept buttering her bread, in the end putting much too much on and not being able to eat it. She was more than happy when a waiter finally came to take their orders. Another _male_ waiter, which Hermione rightly assumed was all that _Madeleine's_ had, and she could already see the hate brewing behind Draco's eyes.

"And for you, Miss…?"

" _Mrs._ ," Draco boldly corrected. The waiter eyed him once before taking a look at Hermione's hands neatly cupped on the table. She was wearing her engagement ring on the correct hand this time, and the waiter nodded in understanding.

"Your choice of beverage for the evening?" The waiter continued.

Hermione took a moment to shoot Draco a dirty look before answering. "Crystal Meade, if you don't mind?"

The waiter's eyes lit up. "The lady knows her wine. An excellent choice, if I don't say so myself."

"Then _don't_." Came Draco's voice, and the waiter frowned before walking off to place their drink orders. Hermione crossed her arms angrily over her chest.

"Was that _really_ necessary?"

"Oh, please. 'The lady knows her wine.'" Draco mocked. "Now _that_ was unnecessary."

"He was just being a good waiter!" Hermione shot at him. "Honestly, Draco, this jealousy thing you have is utterly ridiculous."

"It's not a _jealousy_ thing. It's a possessive thing, and no, I'm not ashamed to admit it. You're mine and I just prefer that everyone understood and respected that."

Hermione huffed. "First and foremost I _was_ yours. Secondly, that notion is –and I'll use the same word as before – _ridiculous_. It's barbaric, archaic, and a slew of other things I could rattle off for you."

"Humph, so if it was the other way around you'd do nothing then?" Draco questioned. "If it was a waitress instead saying, 'the gentleman knows his wine,' and then let's say she touches my arm for good measure-"

"Our waiter didn't touch me."

"Well, our hypothetical waitress did."

Hermione tutted as she picked up her menu. "That makes the scenario much different."

"How so?"

"Because in that case there wouldn't be touching of any kind." She flipped a menu page and brought her eyes to his for a moment. "I would've yanked her hair out before she even could."

Draco smirked, picking up his own menu and perusing the restaurant's options. On the other side of the table Hermione was keeping her nose buried in her menu, both because she was hungry and because she didn't want to look at Draco's face (disguised or not) after what she'd just said. She'd been so attuned with what she was doing that she hadn't even realized that the waiter had brought their drinks. Either that or the waiter was so put off by Draco to make his presence fully known.

"Have you decided what you might like to have to eat?" He asked, more focused on Draco rather than Hermione.

"I'll have the dragon steak." Draco told him. "Annabeth?"

Hermione answered the fake name by looking up, but soon bringing her attention back to her menu. She raised it again with an apologetic face to the waiter. "I'm sorry. Do you mind placing his and coming back in about five minutes or so for mine? I'm having a tough time choosing."

The waiter smiled (not too broadly, of course) and nodded. Draco watched him walk off before turning his eyes back to Hermione. "Why don't you just order the winged shrimp like last time? You loved it."

"I was planning to, but Merlin, Draco… Have you seen these prices? Everything must've gone up at least fifteen galleons."

"Have they? I didn't look at the prices."

Hermione's eyes bulged. "You must be kidding! If you had you'd know that these prices are absurd."

"It's _Madeleine's_." Draco shrugged. "The prices will be outrageous no matter what. It's a good thing there aren't any prices next to the wine. You probably would be drinking water right now."

Her eyes glanced over to her wine glass. "How much is this?"

"Well, to paraphrase a friend of mine who came here last month and ordered the same wine as you, it's the best fifty galleon glass of wine you could ever have."

" _F-fifty?_ "

Draco laughed. "Lighten up and enjoy yourself."

"Not at these prices!"

" _Yes_ , at these prices." He argued back as he took the menu from her. "Especially since you're not the one paying for it. Now stop taking the fun out of this."

Hermione pouted miserably and sat back when the waiter returned and Draco ordered the very thing she'd been trying to find an alternative to. Moments later their dinner magically appeared in front of them and they both dug in. Despite how much she truly wanted to protest, she was glad that she ended up getting the winged shrimp. Paired with the Crystal Meade it was the best dinner she'd had since...well, since she and Draco had been to _Madeleine's_ on their first date. She wouldn't dare tell Draco this of course, but the twitching of the corners of his lips as he ate told her that he knew she was enjoying herself. She was just thankful that he didn't say it out loud.

"Anything for dessert?" Their waiter asked. Hermione immediately began shaking her head, but this time it wasn't because of the price.

"No, please. I don't think I could eat another bite."

"Nothing for you either, sir?"

"No, thank you."

The waiter walked off and Hermione knew then that he wouldn't be back. As the hostess had told them, everything would be on Draco's tab which meant that a check wasn't coming. To her surprise she was a little sad that the night would be ending soon and she could tell by how quiet Draco was that he wasn't entirely happy about it either. He suddenly rose from his seat and Hermione kept her sigh on the inside as she got up from hers as well. He walked over and reached for her hand which, for the sake of not ruining the evening, she gave and allowed him to lead her.

"Wait, Draco, coat check and the exit are that way."

"I know." Draco replied as he continued leading her away from where she'd just pointed. "But the dance floor is this way."

Hermione dug her heels into the floor and stopped him. "No. Definitely not. _You know I don't dance!_ "

"Now we both know that's not true. Besides, _Annabeth_ ," He emphasized as he successfully dragged her out onto the middle of the dancing area. "You're not you, remember?"

"But Draco, I-"

"Shh," He hushed. Draco placed her left hand on his shoulder and proceeded to put his hand on her waist and hold her free hand in his right. "Just forget where you are and concentrate on me."

Hermione was given no time to respond or to further protest. Draco began their dance around the dance floor and she did exactly what he said to do. To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking. She hadn't been this close to her (ex) husband in four –no, _five_ years, but now here she was, staring into his eyes that were starting to return to its natural shade of steel grey. Although they were gliding across the room, Hermione felt like she was standing still. And that's when she felt it. A sharp pain had suddenly stabbed at her chest and Hermione would've cried out had she not been so aware of the many people sharing the dance floor with her. She searched Draco's face for any recognition that he had felt it too, and she found it –not to mention the ferocity with which he was now holding her hand.

"We should stop." Hermione breathed.

"Hermione, we _have_ stopped."

True to his words they had already stopped dancing. The floor had cleared off quickly and soon they were the only ones left. They released each other without a word and quickly headed for the exit, neither daring to mention how much their hearts pained.

* * *

 **Author's note:** It's the little things about Draco and Hermione that I love so much! Hermione's choice in disguise, Draco's smug manner about their reservation, his reaction to the waiter, her reaction to the pricey food. It's what makes them who they are and, I hope, gives you some clear insight as to what their relationship was/is like :)

As always, you guys are the best! 83 story alerts? 52 reviews? For five chapters? Happiness isn't even a proper description :)

-WP


	7. Hypocritical

Hermione's heart didn't stop hurting until the next day. It wasn't nearly as painful as when she and Draco had broken their vows, but it certainly came close. The only thing that got her through it was sleeping and then going to work the next day and drowning herself in everything imaginable. Luckily there was still the matter of having to find a replacement representative for her client, so that took up the majority of her day as well as her attention. Her heart felt completely fine by the time she got home, but it was under attack yet again when Ron arrived and said something she couldn't believe was coming out of his mouth.

" _We're going_ _ **where?**_ "

Ron laughed. "Oh, don't give me that look. You've been choosing our Wednesday night dinners from the moment we started dating. It's my turn now. I had wanted to take you there the night we got engaged, but you've got to make a reservation _way_ in advance. So, I took the first night they could give me and this was it!"

Hermione continued to stare at him dumbfounded and repeated his words in her mind over and over again. _Madeleine's. We're going to Madeleine's tonight._

" _And,_ " Ron added as he walked pass his stunned fiancée and into the walk-in closet. He didn't go very far and was out in two seconds holding up a black dress by its hanger. "You have to wear this. I didn't even know you owned anything like it until I saw it right here this morning!"

Hermione could've dropped dead right then and there. She had felt so off when she came home last night that she hadn't bothered to hide the dress at the back of the closet where she knew Ron wouldn't see it. But here it was, in his hands, all because she had haphazardly undressed and hung it up at the front of her entire wardrobe.

"I know how long it takes you to get ready, so you'd better start now." Ron smiled at her. "Our reservation is at seven-thirty."

* * *

 _This is so bad!_

 _They'll recognize the dress._

 _Oh, I wore this dress with Draco! If Ron ever found out…_

Hermione knew that her fear wasn't entirely justified. She had been in disguise last night, and so the hostess wouldn't know that she was talking to the same person. And yet, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious as the hostess looked her up and down with a soft smile before showing them their seats.

"This place looks great!" Ron exclaimed happily once he sat down. Hermione pulled out her own chair and sat down across from him. They weren't sitting at the same table as she and Draco had (thank Merlin), but it was still awfully close. And their waiter-

 _Kill me…_

"Welcome to _Madeleine's_ , my name is Eric and I'll be…" Eric paused, finally realizing who was at his table and his eyes lighting up like it was Christmas morning. " _You're Hermione Granger!_ And you, you're Ron Weasley! I can't believe I'm you're waiter!"

"Thanks," Ron smiled brightly. He relished in the moments when he got recognized. Hermione, on the other hand, was quite over it and smiled sweetly at the waiter.

"I guess you'll have a good story to tell later." She said in a friendly manner. "I know what I'd like to drink, if you don't mind taking it down?"

"Oh, of course!"

"Crystal Meade, please."

Eric grinned as he wrote it down. "Second person in twenty-four hours to ask for that. You have great taste in wine."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." Eric replied, his smile much wider than it should've been and his eyes roaming much more than they needed to be. Hermione tried her best not to frown. Was _this_ what Draco was seeing last night? If so, she could understand why he had been a bit touchy. She ignored her waiter then, looking over to Ron whose nose was buried in the beverages menu.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Ron,"

Ron finally looked up. Hermione jetted her eyes as discretely as she could to Eric, but clearly he didn't take the hint. Ron merely glanced back down at the menu quickly before closing it and handing it to the waiter who was still eyeing Hermione heavily.

"I'll have the same as her, please."

Eric nodded as he took both of the beverage menus before handing over the one for food. He winked at Hermione before leaving and she turned her angry gaze at Ron whose attention was grabbed by yet another menu. She sighed and pretended to be looking through her own. Of course she already knew what she wanted but played along for Ron's sake.

"Hermione, these prices are crazy!" Ron whispered loudly to her. She half-smiled as she closed her menu.

"It's _Madeleine's_." She shrugged. "The place is pretty fancy. It's going to be a bit more than we're used to paying."

" _A bit?_ "

"Okay, a lot. Honestly, you didn't think to look up the menu or their prices before making the reservation?"

"Of course not." Ron admitted. "You'd just said yes to marrying me, so all I could think about was doing something just as nuts."

Hermione laughed as she reached over the table and held his hand. "Marrying you isn't nuts. Why don't we both just try to order something that won't break the bank. We _do_ have a wedding to pay for. Deal?"

Ron grinned and nodded. "Deal."

Instead of the winged shrimp, Hermione had steamed squid tentacles which weren't really all that bad considering she kept picturing that she was eating the relative of the giant squid in the lake at Hogwarts. Ron had something that he couldn't quite pronounce, but he had enjoyed it well enough, and as long as he was happy then so was she. At least until the bill came. Ron hadn't had a clue how much the Crystal Meade would be and Hermione anxiously squirmed in her seat as she saw his eyes widen in slow motion. A slew of curses flew out of his mouth then, however quietly he whispered them, and Hermione avoided the confrontation by bringing her gaze to the dance floor.

She smiled at it. She tried to imagine what she and Draco must've looked like from an onlooker's perspective and quite frankly…she couldn't imagine it. The couples out on the floor now looked so happy and so in love. Hermione wasn't going to lie and say that she didn't love Draco. She always would. The love a person had for another when their hearts were linked couldn't simply disappear. If it did, well, there couldn't have been much love there at all. Considering that she'd had a near heart attack last night was a testament to that. Regardless, she was sure that whatever little love remained would stay as such: little. Ron was her future now. If only she could get Draco to come to terms with that.

"Did you want to dance?" Ron asked with a brow raised. Hermione smiled softly at him, but soon shook her head.

"No, let's get going. Tomorrow's a half-day of work _and_ wedding dress shopping. I'm going to need all my rest tonight."

* * *

Today was one of the few days that Hermione was ready to leap out of her work chair and flee her second home called the Ministry. When the clock finally struck 1:00pm she did just that and apparated to a designated apparation spot that was securely hidden from all the muggles who resided in London. It was about three blocks from where she'd told her mother to meet her and both women greeted each other ecstatically.

It was wedding dress shopping day. Hermione had a vague idea as to what she wanted her gown to look like on the big day, but she was open to anything that molded to her figure and would make Ron weak at the knees when he saw her walking down the aisle. To help her with the fun, yet daunting task was both her mother and Ginny –the latter would be meeting them in the wizarding section of London. Hermione had chosen them to help because they were the two most special women in her life. Regardless, she was still quite unsure of how the afternoon would go. The two of them had _very_ different taste when it came to clothing and a clash of interests was bound to happen. Hermione only hoped that their opposing views could somehow come together to find her the perfect dress.

"Is this _really_ the entrance to the wizarding part of London?" Mrs. Granger eyed the narrow alley her daughter had slipped into between two condemned buildings.

"One of many, yes."

Hermione stood in the middle of the alley and took out her wand. Facing the brick wall of one of the buildings, she bent down low and pressed the tip of her wand at the bottom of the wall. Without raising it off the brick, she drew her wand up to just above the height of her head, over to the right some, and then back down towards the ground. Once she was done she recited a short incantation that eventually revealed a door in the space where she had drawn the invisible lines.

Mrs. Granger looked on amazed as she did every event that involved magic. Hermione grinned as she led the way through the door that disappeared once her mother had come through. Yes, there were tons of ways to get into the wizarding part of London, but there were only so many that allowed muggle entry.

Although Hermione was adamant on muggle wear for her wedding, there was no need to go to a muggle bridal shoppe (although that option wasn't removed from the list). The groom in wizarding weddings still wore dress robes, but in this day and age witches had grown to like the muggle wedding ways of the bride and opted for their style of dress. Some chose to attach a neat robe at the back of their gown, but that trend was starting to die out as well.

"Hermione!"

"Ginny!" Hermione called as she gently pulled her mother along the streets and to the bridal shoppe not too far from them. The eager redhead waved to them and gave them both the biggest of hugs once they were close enough.

"Oh, I just can't wait to get you into a gown." Ginny exclaimed with bright eyes. "This is the best part of any wedding."

Hermione arched a brow and smiled. "Not actually _getting married?_ "

"Nope,"

Mrs. Granger laughed while Hermione rolled her eyes and led the way into the shoppe. They were immediately met with a pleasant witch who recognized the bushy-haired heroine instantly. This was another reason why she had chosen to go to a wizarding bridal shoppe instead of a muggle one. Hermione was well-known and many people still found the need to thank her for her war efforts. No, she wasn't entirely fond of getting recognized, but _sometimes_ she didn't mind exploiting it. That said, there was a pretty good chance that if she found the dress of her dreams today that she could walk out of that shoppe free of charge. A woman could dream…

"Why don't we each split up, pick out a few dresses, and then bring them back out for you to try on?" Mrs. Granger suggested. Hermione smiled.

"That sounds like a great idea. Happy hunting!" Ginny shouted before taking off between the racks of wedding dresses. Hermione could do nothing but shake her head at her and laugh before also walking deeper into the shoppe and perusing the various dresses that were available.

She knew for certain that she didn't want a Cinderella-type gown. It was simply much too much fabric for her liking and she'd probably take her wand to it and cut most of it off before she walked down the aisle. She did adore a mermaid-silhouette, but she also didn't want to feel trapped in her dress. Strapless was out. Straps were also out, which she realized only led her in the direction of previously vetoed strapless dresses, but she was sure she could find some sort of strap that she didn't loathe.

Hermione continued travelling throughout the bridal shoppe, stopping, pulling out a dress, pursing her lips as she looked at it, and putting it back shortly after. It was as she was putting back her fifth dress that she paused, the voice of a woman she hadn't seen in _years_ hitting her ears.

"That dress is _hideous_ , Pansy. I'm going to find something better. _Granger?_ "

Hermione had been too slow to get out of the witch's line of sight and she looked at her, faking a smile that she knew the woman would see straight through. Not that she would care. She met the brunette with a slow smile of her own that was just as forced.

"Astoria," Hermione greeted with a slight clenching of her jaws. "Funny seeing you here. Getting married, are you?"

"Already took the plunge." Astoria replied as she showed off a ring three, possibly four times as large as her own. "Pansy's the lucky bride." She then set her eyes on Hermione's engagement ring and smirked smugly.

"You're one too, apparently. Marrying down, are we?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Money isn't everything."

Astoria continued to smile as she brought her perfectly manicured hands to the dress racks. "You would say that, wouldn't you? Once married to one of the richest wizards in our world and _still_ you chose to live commonly. Draco was annoyed terribly with you at that. Said that you were too stubborn and self-righteous to just enjoy luxury."

Hermione's nostrils flared. "When on _earth_ did Draco tell you that?"

A small laugh escaped Astoria's lips as she held out a gown in front of her, looked it over for a few seconds, tutted, then put it back. She then stared at the former Mrs. Malfoy sans the "Malfoy" and saw the blazing fire behind her eyes. She grinned.

"Not while you two were still married, sweetheart."

Relief was an understatement.

"Draco and I managed to reconnect once I'd found out about the divorce." Astoria hummed happily as she picked out another dress, but this time slung it over her arm. "The foul things he'd said about you were absolutely _delicious_ to hear."

Hermione huffed and angrily crossed her arms over her chest. She _despised_ letting Astoria get to her like this and hated herself for letting the woman see it upfront. Although, she soon let go of her sudden rage and smiled broadly.

"I'm sure what he must've said was gruesome. My words were no better. And yet I don't think either one of us could beat out what he'd said about _you_ when I harshly accused him of possibly cheating on me with you. And I quote: how could you ever think I'd cheat on you with the wizarding world's biggest money-grabbing tramp?"

Astoria's mirthful face dropped as well as the dress on her arm. Hermione walked away after that and sighed contentedly once she was further enough away. Okay, so maybe she'd never accused Draco of cheating nor did he ever say such words about her. But _she_ had certainly thought that Astoria was the wizarding world's biggest money-grabbing tramp, and _Merlin_ did it feel good to say it to her face, however indirectly.

* * *

The next couple of days passed by quickly and soon it was time for another session with Dr. Milligan. Sometimes Draco got to his office before her. Sometimes it was the other way around. Today it seemed as though they were getting there together, but Hermione pretended not to hear her husband calling after her as he ran up behind her.

"Didn't you hear me?" Draco asked. Hermione glanced at him from her periphery and then settled her eyes back in front of her.

"No, I didn't."

He stared at her curiously. No, he wasn't her favorite person right now, but she'd yet to be so frigid with him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Are you _sure?_ "

" _Yes._ "

Draco huffed. Aside from her curt answers, she was also walking at a million miles a minute. It was almost difficult to keep up with her despite his naturally long strides. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing,"

"Don't lie to me Hermione. I know you, and I know you well. You're being short me because you're pissed over something."

"When am I _not_ pissed at you over something?"

"Point taken, but I can tell it's not because of my particular brand of charm. So out with it. Unless of course you want Dr. Milligan to pick up on it. I'm just sure he'd _love_ to analyze us."

Hermione grumbled. She stopped walking and turned to him, hoping not to sound as disappointed and as upset as she truly was.

"I saw Astoria last week."

Draco blinked twice rapidly. That certainly wasn't what he thought she'd say. "Where?"

"Bridal shoppe. Thanks for telling me Pansy's getting married by the way."

"You didn't like her very much so I didn't think you'd care. So, what about Astoria?"

"Oh, nothing much." Hermione said as she nervously played with the hems of her sleeves. "Just that she mentionned the two of you had reconnected over the years."

Draco cocked a brow. "She said that, did she?"

"It's true isn't it? I see no reason for her to lie."

"Oh I can think of plenty reasons for her to lie." He smiled. "But yes, it's true. Once she found out we were divorced she slowly came back into my life. Coffee here, dinner there..." Draco paused then, taking a moment to appreciate the reddening of his wife's cheeks. "I guess you'll probably want to know that we did date."

Hermione's face fell. "For how long?"

"Two years."

Hermione's face picked back up again but this time morphed into one of pure anger. "Two years? You got sucked in by that gold digging harlot and dated her for _two years?!_ Did you lose your mind?! For Merlin's sake, Draco, I knew you were going to date after we split up but Astoria?! Honestly?! _Astoria?!_ _**What**_ are you laughing at?!"

Draco couldn't answer her. He was laughing harder than he ever did in his life and couldn't stop. Eventually he did but still wore his smile wide.

"I'm laughing at _you_. Hermione, I was lying. I never dated her nor would I have. Yes, we reconnected after you left, but it was never more than that occasional coffee or dinner. After each rendezvous Astoria always went back home, alone. Much to her displeasure," Draco added with an amused grin. "Despite being divorced I could've never dated someone I knew you loathed." He glanced down at her engagement ring and sighed. "Obviously you didn't give me that same curtesy."

Hermione followed his gaze and frowned. "Draco, I-"

"You're a hypocrite." Draco said suddenly. "How can you stand here, ranting and raving about me and Astoria and not understand how I feel about you marrying Weasley?"

"It's not the same."

"It's _exactly_ the same!"

"No, it's not! Were our roles reversed I would've signed the divorce papers! And I wouldn't have dragged you to counseling sessions just to prove that your relationship was meaningless!" Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and breathed deeply. "Draco, I wouldn't have liked who you were dating were your little fib true, but I wouldn't have gotten in the way of your happiness."

Draco paused. He stared at her for a moment, but eventually sighed and shook his head. "I amend what I said. You're a hypocrite _and_ a liar. Come on, we're going to be late."

* * *

 **Author's note** : There's so much going on in this chapter, I love it :). As for the last bit, I think it's safe to say that Draco won that little argument, don't you think?

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and if you like, feel free to check out my profile every once in a while. I have a list of upcoming stories that I'm working on/their summaries/possible publish dates. I update it every three weeks or so :)

-WP


	8. Deadlines

"Are the two of you alright?"

Draco and Hermione briefly looked at each other before saying, "Yes." Dr. Milligan obviously didn't believe either one of them, but whatever their current issues with each other, it was not to be the topic of discussion today.

"I gave the both of you an assignment last week to recreate your first date. Let's talk about that shall we? How did it go?"

Despite wanting to feel angry at Draco's words about Ron only moments prior, thinking of their date at _Madeleine's_ last Tuesday made the corners of her mouth twitch.

"Considering the restaurant was still intact when we left, I'd say it went well." Draco answered, his own mouth lifting in a smile.

"You'd say the same, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded. "It did. We even danced, and Draco of all people knows how difficult a feat that is for me to get up and do."

"It was still difficult. Had to drag her."

Hermione playfully swatted him on the arm and he laughed. Dr. Milligan jotted down a note or two while they were distracted before proceeding with his questions.

"Alright then. Let's dig into the date a little. Hermione, what's one character quality of Draco's that you disliked during your date?"

"His possessiveness," Hermione eagerly answered as she thought of the poor waiter. "His _utter_ possessiveness when anyone tries to direct my attention away from him or he thinks they're flirting with me. I mean for Mer – _goodness_ sake, can you learn to trust me?" She directed at Draco. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"It's not about trusting _you_ , you know that. If I trust anyone it's you. It's other people I don't trust."

"We'll touch on that point in a moment." Dr. Milligan said to Draco before turning back to Hermione. He missed a colorful word from Draco's lips as he did so. "Can you also name a character quality of your husband's that you _liked_ during your date?"

Hermione took a deep breath. She didn't look at Draco then, but she did spy him from her periphery. He almost seemed to know what she was about to say. She did in fact say it once before during their marriage and she was about to say it again.

"His possessiveness,"

Dr. Milligan arched a brow. "His possessiveness? You both dislike _and_ like that about him?"

"It's odd, I know." Hermione admitted, shrugging in the process. "But despite how much it irks me to no end, it's a very tangible way to show that he cares about me. That he doesn't want anyone to hurt me. He doesn't have to _say_ that he cares for me to know it."

"Mhmm, mhmm… And you, Draco? First something you disliked about your wife during your date?"

"Only one thing?" Draco scoffed. Hermione kicked him in the ankle and he kicked her right back before continuing. "She can't sit back and enjoy one _single_ thing. The wine's much too expensive, Draco. Maybe we should order something that doesn't cost so much, Draco. Every _bleeding_ _ **time**_. I'm a rich, spoiled brat, Hermione." He directed at her. "Learn to live with it and let me spoil you."

"I'm independent and I can fend for myself. Not to mention senseless spending is _ridiculous_."

"You just love using that word, don't you?"

"In reference to you? Yes."

Draco groaned. "Spending money on yourself or someone you care about isn't senseless."

"Says the rich, spoiled brat."

Dr. Milligan cleared his throat to catch the attention of the feuding couple. He smiled warily at them before looking to Draco again. "So, something that you liked about Hermione during your date?"

Draco leaned back further in the chair and sighed. It seemed that he knew exactly what the counselor's reaction would be. "It's the same thing I hate. It's annoying as hell to be certain, but it's the reason why I would try to get her whatever I thought she'd like –special occasion or not. It's because she'd never ask. I've had lovers in the past who only saw me for my wealth. She never did. Still doesn't apparently."

"Well, if that's not the definition of a paradox, then I don't know what is." Dr. Milligan smiled. "Let's move on to something a bit different, but still relevant, alright? Tell me, when you were still living as husband and wife, how often did you say that you loved each other?"

Hermione and Draco took a moment to look at one another before replying. Hermione spoke first.

"Anniversaries,"

"Birthdays,"

"Valentine's day,"

"Christmas,"

"Do you mean the year you threatened to burn the tree down if I decorated it 'the way my parents did?'"

"No, no we weren't married yet. Just living together."

"Oh yes, that's right."

Dr. Milligan's face was priceless. Neither Hermione nor Draco could keep a straight face and laughter filled the room.

"Come now, Dr. Milligan," Draco teased. "It's been a while. You should be used to our unorthodox nature by now."

"Yes…yes, I suppose I should." He said more to himself than to him. "But I'm curious, what exactly was it about your parents' way of decorating, Hermione, that you, Draco, 'threatened to burn the tree down?'"

Draco and Hermione quickly glanced at each other.

"My parents used, um, ornaments he thought were odd."

"Not to mention it took _ages_ to finish decorate." He added. "My way would've been much faster."

"Oh? And your way was?"

"Yes, Draco," Hermione turned to him, very reminiscent of their first session. "What was _your way_?"

Draco paused."…Pre-decorated tree. From a box."

Hermione laughed. She had to hand it to him, he had a good memory. Draco had pitched a fit when she had threatened him with a pre-decorated tree that she could buy from a muggle store if he wanted to decorate one so quickly. She stifled the rest of her laughter and neatly folded her hands over her lap.

"Back to your question at hand, Dr. Milligan, romantic words and sweet nothings weren't exactly our thing." She explained. "It's like I said. Draco didn't have to say it for me to know that he loved me."

"And neither did she," Draco piled on. "The mere fact that she put up with my sarcastic arse was enough."

Hermione chuckled. Yes, it was definitely enough.

* * *

"James, what did I say about flying that in the house?!"

"Oh, lighten up, Ginny. It's Christmas!" George smiled brightly. Hermione laughed as she sipped on eggnog heavily doused with firewhiskey. He _would_ say that seeing as he was the one to buy his nephew the toy broom that he kept removing from the enormous Christmas tree in the living room and flying all around the Burrow.

Hermione and Ron, Harry and Ginny and the kids, as well as every member of the Weasley family, spent Christmas Eve at the Burrow as part of their yearly holiday tradition. The Burrow itself had always been crowded with Molly and Arthur and all of their children, but to have them all in one place again _plus_ their spouses and children was a testament to what magic could really do. Bedrooms had been expanded. Beds had been conjured. And more shopping runs for food had been made than humanly possible. Despite not having a moment's peace, Hermione wouldn't have traded this chaotic and loud holiday gathering for anything in the world.

"'Ow are ze wedding plans, 'Ermione?" Fleur asked, her eight-year-old daughter by her side and embodying every element that was her mother and Veela qualities.

"They're going…well, they're going." Hermione smiled and shrugged. "The only things that are decided are my bridesmaid dresses as well as the maid of honor dress for Ginny."

"And my flower girl dress!" Victoire happily called. Hermione grinned at her and nodded.

"Yes, and your flower girl dress."

"And ze date," Fleur continued.

Yes, the date. She and Ron had known they wanted to get married in June, but the exact date was giving them trouble. Well, it was giving _her_ trouble. It was either going to be June the 26th, 27th, or the 28th, and all three dates were the utter death of her. Back in 2001, June 26th had been her and Draco's perfect date. At roughly one a.m. on June 27th they were married and basking in the glow of their spontaneous decision. By that afternoon they were packed and on their way to St. Kitts where they spent the rest of that day and the entire day of June 28th as newlyweds. To be honest with herself, had she and Draco not been doing these counseling sessions she wouldn't have thought twice about those three potential wedding dates. However, since October they'd gone through eleven sessions, and Hermione couldn't help but think it a…dishonor to a once good marriage by overshadowing it with another. Yet alas, every other date in June was terrible for whoever was supposed to either be in the wedding or simply attending. In the end, Hermione and Ron had settled on Sunday, June 28th, and the official invitations were to be sent out during the first week of January.

"Ah, just in time." Fleur smiled. "We were just talking about ze wedding plans."

Ron purposefully let out an exaggerated groan and Hermione playfully smacked him on the chest for it. He only laughed and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's all we ever talk about." Ron rolled his eyes. "I swear, once this wedding is over we won't have a reason to talk to each other anymore."

"That's when you know you're doing marriage right." Came Bill's voice. Fleur mimicked Hermione's actions and hit him, which only made him laugh just as his brother had done. The four of them continued to make small talk until Bill and Fleur's attention was whisked away by another member of the Weasley clan. Ron took this rare opportunity to speak with Hermione alone and took her hand in order to lead her up the many stairs to the bedroom that they had shared that night.

"I wanted to give you your Christmas present." Ron said after he'd shut the door. "I thought about waiting until we got home, but who knows when that'll be."

Hermione laughed. Ron was right. Just because Christmas would be over in a few hours that didn't mean that the Weasley festivities would. The year before they'd spent three full days after Christmas, went home, just to come back and spend New Year's plus an additional two more days. Her laughter died quickly, though, as she tilted her head slightly in confusion as she watched her fiancé rifle through his overnight bag.

"But Ron, you already gave me your present."

"Yeah, but that was your present to open in front of the family. This one, on the other hand, is just for me to see."

Hermione furrowed her brow as Ron stepped away from his bag and walked up to her. He held a small black box in his hand and she took it curiously. When she opened it her heart swelled with happiness as she darted her eyes between the box and his face repeatedly.

"Oh Ron… I thought we were going to get these later?"

"I lied." Ron grinned. "Actually, I got these the week after you'd said yes."

" _Seriously?_ "

Ron nodded. He was smiling even more now and leaned his head a bit to take another look at the wedding bands sitting neatly in their box. His band wasn't anything spectacular. It was silver and engraved with his and her initials. Her band on the other hand, aside from the same engraving, held tiny diamonds that circled the entire ring. Hermione continued to gape at them, and then she suddenly thought of how much this must've set him back financially. He was by no means poor, but the cost of the band as well as her engagement ring combined must've been heftier than he was accustomed to spending. Before she could say anything Ron kissed her gently on the forehead and wrapped an arm around her.

"Stop. You think too much."

Hermione looked at him coyly for a moment before returning her gaze towards the rings. "You don't know what I was thinking."

"I do, and as long we don't go back to _Madeleine's_ anytime soon, we'll be fine."

That made Hermione laugh once again and she kissed him. When they finally pulled apart she found herself thinking of Draco and it made her furious. How could he not want her to marry Ron? How could he think that he wasn't good enough for her? Look at what he'd done just now! Ron was sweet and he was caring. He loved her more than he loved himself and _that_ meant something. Draco needed to come to terms with that, and he need to do it quickly.

* * *

Dr. Milligan had gone out of town during the Christmas holiday, and so there wasn't a scheduled session until the second week of January. Hermione was morbid at that fact –at having the sessions return, that is. Not having the sessions had put a bit of normalcy back in her life and she had been _thrilled_. She didn't have to lie about her whereabouts to Ron or to anyone. She could focus solely on planning the wedding without her thoughts wandering over to what had been said during the counseling session. And, above all of that, she could forget that she was still married to Draco.

Today, unfortunately, marked the start of the sessions again. Hermione groaned bitterly as she stared at the clock across from her on her office wall, and although she still had some time before she had to leave, she packed up anyway. She gathered all of her belongings quickly and, instead of disapparating to those few blocks away from Dr. Milligan's office, or even going home, Hermione found herself on the doorstep of the home she'd once shared with her husband.

The same house elf that had once greeted her at the door had done so again. She frowned terribly once the house elf's back was turned and he began leading her to where Draco was. He had had house elves when they were dating yes. When they were married, however, there hadn't been a single house elf in the house. She had adamantly forbidden it. She wondered then how long it had taken Draco to relish in the fact that his controlling wife was out of his life and he could now do what he wanted.

"You might want to fix your face, darling. It might get stuck."

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Draco's voice. She hadn't even realized that she'd mindlessly followed the house elf through the house only to end up in what appeared to be a game room. This, too, was new.

"You've taken up playing pool?"

Draco nodded, smiling, and swiping a hand on the corner of the pool table in the middle of the room. He had always wanted one after seeing it in a muggle film she'd made him watch once. She didn't like the idea of having one since it screamed "bachelor." Well, when she'd left he had become one yet again. It was the first thing he'd bought as a (supposed) single man and he'd spent countless hours inside his game room. Oddly enough, the room was the only thing that held his personal touch. Everything else in the house was still his and _her_ things. Items that _they'd_ agreed to buy together. He hadn't even moved anything around. It only occurred to him now that that's what he'd done, and it unnerved him.

"What are you doing here?" Draco suddenly asked. He'd just remembered that his "ex"-wife was willingly standing in his presence in the home she'd kicked herself out of years ago.

"We need to talk."

Draco huffed. "The dreaded words of death. Or…maybe not?" He said with a slight curve of his lips. "This doesn't happen to be the talk I've been hoping for, is it? You finally realizing that marrying Weasley is a _horrible_ mistake?"

Hermione scowled and crossed her arms. " _No_. That's not what I was going to say. Come on, Draco, be serious."

Draco stared at her and her determined disposition. With a deep breath he nodded and motioned for her to sit down in the armchair on the other side of the room. He joined her by sitting on two-seater sofa diagonally facing her.

"What is it?"

"My wedding is in June."

A knot formed in his stomach. His heart also did a somersault in his chest. The only satisfaction he got was from the latter, because he could see the wince in Hermione's face and knew that hers had to be doing the same. Draco sighed.

"What of it?"

"I can't get married if you don't sign those divorce papers."

"I'm aware."

"I need to know how long you plan on keeping this up."

Draco raised his brow. "'This,' meaning?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "These sessions, Draco. You can't make me have them forever and, for the love of Merlin, I don't know how much longer I can feel this way. So…guilty. I'm at home, planning a wedding that I can't legally have. Ron thinks we're fine -that our wedding license is at my parents' house, greenlighting us to go. He got us our wedding bands and they're _so lovely_. And while he's happily in bliss, I'm having marriage counseling sessions with my husband. Having _dinners_ with my husband. Talking about old feelings and the times I once shared _with my husband_.

'I need a date, Draco, and I need one _now_. When will this be over? When will you come to the realization that I love Ron and that we're-?"

"Is it better than what I gave you?"

Hermione stopped. "What?"

"The wedding band," Draco clarified. "Whose is better?"

Hermione didn't say anything. She blinked rapidly and then felt heat rise into her cheeks. "Is that the only thing you heard me say? _Really?!_ "

"I heard everything you said, but I'm choosing to ignore the rest."

"Oh!"

"You hate me right now. I get it. But whether you like it or not, Hermione, this has to be done." Draco got up from his spot on the sofa and left her fuming in her seat. He began perusing books on the shelves that lined the walls, but never let her out of his periphery. "For the record, I never doubted that you loved the redhead. Only that he wasn't the right person for you." He found the book he was looking for and plucked it from the shelf. When he sat back down with it in his hands Hermione was still furious. He chuckled as he flipped the book open.

There was no need to turn any pages because the book was very much hollow. He tilted it in his hands and the delicate sound of something small hitting the glass coffee table rang in the air. Hermione wanted to stay mad, but she couldn't as she stared at the three rings that were glittering up at her.

One was Draco's wedding band. It was made of platinum, and the words "Eternally Yours" were engraved on the inside. What was more was that those words were filled in with tiny rubies and topaz stones. Gryffindor colors. Another ring was also a wedding band –hers. Platinum as well and stones encircling it as with the one Ron had given her. The only difference was that the stones were diamonds, tinted slightly grey, as well as emeralds. Those same stones filled in the engraving on her ring. Slytherin colors. The final ring, her engagement ring that was bought a week after they'd spontaneously gotten married, made Hermione just as speechless as the first time she'd seen it. A diamond large enough to display wealth, but not so large as to be gaudy, sat in the middle of the ring. Surrounding the stone were small rubies, topaz stones, and emeralds. It had been evident that great care had gone into all three of the rings, and the sentiment wasn't lost on Hermione now just because she wanted to hex her husband.

"Why do you still have these?" Hermione asked all the while fighting the urge to pick up the rings she'd once worn on her finger. Draco stared at them and frowned. He could be a prat. He could say that he'd spent endless galleons on those rings and that it would've been a waste to simply get rid of them. He would rather say that than the truth because the truth made his insides squirm. He wasn't about to tell her, wasn't going to admit, wasn't going to divulge he'd once had an _occasional_ hope that maybe she'd come back. Said hope had been dashed a year after the divorce, however, but even then he still hadn't had the heart to dispose of them.

"So, once again, whose is better?"

Hermione removed her eyes from the rings and settled them on Draco. Soon they were gazing at the clock behind his head and she stood. "We're going to be late for our session." She began walking towards the door, but stopped after placing a hand on the doorknob. "I want that date, Draco. This is my future we're talking about, and I know that in your…twisted way this is supposed to be for my benefit. If that's the case, then you'll listen to me for once in your life and give me what I'm asking for."

Silence passed. Draco placed the rings back in the book where he'd taken them from and put the book back on the shelf. "Are you going to answer the question?"

"Answer mine first."

"…March."

 _Two more months…_

"Hermione?"

She realized he was waiting for her answer to his twice-asked question. She thought about the wedding band Ron gave her. She thought about Draco's. She thought about how the latter –all three of them, really –weren't simply rings, but rather a glittering representation of two opposites who had somehow come together. With a deep breath Hermione finally turned the doorknob and opened the door.

"It's not fair to compare two things that aren't even in the same league."

The words sounded harsh on her tongue. Hermione immediately regretted it, but no matter what she said next would ever rid Draco of the smug look he was now sporting.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Probably out of everything here, I love just how many times Draco and Hermione actually said "I love you" to each other and when. Yes, quite the unconventional couple. I also love the scene with their rings. They were _definitely_ created with care. Oh Draco… :)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for still being such amazing readers and reviewers! A story is nothing without people's responses to it, so claps to you :). Also, in response to a guest review, I update this story on Sundays and Thursdays (USA, eastern time fyi). I wish there was a way to reply to guest reviews. Is there? Well, just know that I am reading them and I love them all 3.

-WP


	9. Ice

Today marked the thirteenth week of marriage counseling sessions and, if Draco kept his word, their twenty-third session –the last day of March –would mark the end of testing Hermione's relationship with Ron and she could finally get her hands on their divorce papers, _signed_. As she thought about the ten sessions that remained after this, she realized that their counseling had truly yet to begin. They had been spending a great deal talking about the early parts of their relationship: how she and Draco got together, how they acted towards one another during their marriage before it went south, the things they loved about the other, and other topics of the like. Doing this made Hermione remember the qualities about Draco that had drew her to him in the first place. However, with a dismal thought, she realized that Dr. Milligan had yet to get to the "touchy" stuff. The things that had made their childish banter turn into sharp, two-edge swords. _That_ , she knew, would take more than the ten sessions that they had left.

"It was good today." Dr. Milligan said towards the end of their session. "Next week we'll take things in a…different direction-"

 _Damn, I jinxed it._

"-But don't dwell on it for now. For now, you should put your attention on another assignment I have for you."

Hermione groaned while Draco's face lit up.

"Alright then," Draco nodded. "What is it?"

"I'd like for you and Hermione to recreate your second date."

The roles instantly reversed for the couple and it was Draco's turn to groan while Hermione's face lit up and shined brilliantly. Dr. Milligan stared between the two and then cocked a brow in the air.

"This doesn't involve leaving anything in shambles again, does it? Petrifying people? Cursing them into oblivion?"

Hermione instantly thought of Draco taking out his wand and sending various curses and hexes at anyone who dared to stare at her too long.

"Hell, I wish it did." Draco grumbled in response to Dr. Milligan's words. Hermione playfully nudged him in the side and then smiled at Dr. Milligan as she gathered her things.

"It'll be fine." She told him. "No destruction happened on this one. It was actually quite pleasant."

Draco huffed. "For who?"

"Certainly for me." Hermione grinned. "Thank you, Dr. Milligan. We'll see you next week."

Dr. Milligan nodded as he watched his clients leave his office. On the outside of his door Draco took up his brooding once again while Hermione shook her head at him as they headed towards the elevator.

"Oh come on, Draco. Our second date was fun!"

"If you're talking about after we returned our ice skates and went back to my place to do the horizontal portion of our date, then yes, very fun."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well despite what you say I know you enjoyed yourself."

Draco sucked his teeth. "How much enjoyment could there have been when I fell constantly?"

"Considering we were in good enough spirits to do the 'horizontal portion' of our date, I'd say there'd been a lot."

Draco wanted to scowl, but he couldn't fight the smirk that his lips morphed into. Eventually he let out a conceding sigh and nodded. They both entered the elevator and resumed their speech once they were outside and heading towards the apparation spot.

"Fine. You pick a day since fitting myself into your schedule is like breaking into a bloody fortress."

"I _am_ planning a wedding, Draco. I'm going to be busy."

"Don't remind me." Draco mumbled as Hermione put on her thinking face. Once they got to the apparation spot her face had returned to normal. He stood expectantly, waiting for her to tell him when they could get on with date number two, but she didn't say anything. Instead Hermione surprised him by quickly grasping his hand and disapparating away with him. When he was back on his feet again, Draco was yet again in another alley and Hermione, still with his hand in hers, was pulling him along and onto the sidewalk.

"I hope you didn't have plans." Hermione said, finally letting his hand go. "But the rest of my week is ridiculous. Is…this okay?"

Draco was hardly paying attention. He was absentmindedly following his wife down the street until an ice rink could be seen up ahead. He gulped. From what he could tell it was already filled with people and it was getting even more crowded by the minute. His and Hermione's date number two had been a so-so time for him. He had loved being with her, but he had _hated_ getting onto the ice. He'd only done it because she had begged him to. That and she'd said she'd find a way to hex him without the muggles seeing if he didn't.

"Yes."

Draco was drawn from his thoughts by Hermione's voice. "Yes to what?"

"Yes, I will hex you if you don't get out on that ice with me." Hermione grinned. "A recreation of date number two, remember?"

Draco chuckled. "Right. Okay, let's get this thing over with."

"You're _so_ romantic…"

Her comment was ignored as the two of them made it to the ice rink. They were in a muggle neighborhood –a clear indication that Hermione had been the one to design their second date all those years ago. As he recalled, he had put up a fuss that first time too. When they got there a teenage girl was at the counter and she eagerly helped them find their proper shoe size for the ice skates and was paid accordingly for them. Hermione sat down on a wooden bench next to Draco and excitedly took off her shoes in order to put on the skates. Draco, on the other hand, merely watched her as she did so and completely disregarded his own set. She looked as though she'd been hit with a Contentment Charm. In all the time since the counseling sessions had begun he'd never seen her look _this_ happy.

"Draco, the skates?"

He shook his head. That was the second time she'd broken his concentration. With a reluctant grunt, Draco bent down and undid his shoes. While he put his on Hermione went to place their shoes in a locker for safe keeping. By the time she got back he was finished and had been staring warily at his feet because they still had to make it from the tiny shack that held an innumerable amount of ice skates and out to the actual ice rink. Albeit it was quite the short distance it was still daunting. Hermione's hand came into his line of sight and he looked up at her.

"I won't let you fall, I promise." She told him sweetly. Soon after it turned quite evil. "At least until we get out on the ice."

Draco glared at her as her laughter filled the room they were in. Regardless, he accepted her aid and gave him her hand. Once he was on his feet, he shook off a few wobbles before taking very careful, tentative steps outside. Hermione's pleasure was evident. The closer they grew the ice, the more support she was giving him. Her left hand was still in his right, but now her right hand was on his arm. Granted, he was sure that if he went down there was no way for her to keep him standing, but he appreciated the effort nonetheless.

"Hermione, do I _really_ have to do this?"

She turned to him, her eyes soft, and a gentle curl of her lips. "Oh, alright."

Draco steadied himself against the railing of the rink and watched as Hermione went onto the ice. Soon she was off, her hands behind her back, her face with absolute glee as she went around the curve of the large arena. Draco hadn't known it before, but he sure knew it now. He missed this. Her happiness. Her contentment was contagious, always had been, and he had been at his happiest when he was with her. That's not to say that he was downright miserable while they were apart. Far from it. He was…satisfied. Sadly he was realizing that simply being satisfied wasn't enough.

Draco frowned. There were only so many counseling sessions left, and he had no true indication as to whether or not doubts about Hermione's pending marriage to Weasley were settling into her head. Even if that were true, would it be enough? He knew his wife. She fought hard for everything she had and she would steam away, full speed, with this wedding as long as nothing disastrous derailed it. And if, by some miracle, the wedding really was called off, what then? Would she…come back to him? That hadn't been his intention when he had suggested the sessions. He had held their marriage, however horrendous some of their time together had been, in high regard. She had loved him – _deeply_. If she was going to marry anyone after him, Draco wanted the love she had for that next person to reach –not outmatch –what they'd had. He knew _for a fact_ that she couldn't have that with Weasley, and he'd be damned to let her settle. But now… _now?_ Now he wondered if it was possible, if there was even the slightest possibility, that she'd want to give him –give _them_ –another go.

Hermione's laughter pierced him from his train of thought. How, from a distance, she could rip him away from himself he didn't know. He continued to watch her. Her innocence could outshine that of a child, and the more he stared, the more his heart constricted.

With a great push within himself, Draco released himself from the railing. With a bit of a struggle he made it to the open gate of the rink, the threshold of the safe ground and the slippery ice just before him. He sighed, and stepped one skate out onto the ice, his hands gripping the sides of the rink tightly. Hermione, who was slowly making her way around the rink noticed what Draco was doing. Her heart fluttered at the sight, and she skated faster so that she could make it over to him. Just as he had finally made it onto the ice and began using the wall of the rink for support, one foot went one way, the next went another, and Draco was yelling and was on his back in two seconds flat.

Hermione laughed when Draco hit the ice. His face was flushed either from the cold or, most likely, embarrassment.

"Yes, yes, falling on my arse is hilarious. Can you help me up now?"

Still in a fit of laughter Hermione skated closer and slowed once she got close enough. She held out her hand for him to take, but before she could even attempt to pull him up he yanked on her hand. Hermione yelped as she fell forward into Draco's arms and landed neatly on his lap.

"Draco!"

Draco was laughing now, his arms around her waist and keeping her steady. "Now _that_ was funny."

Hermione was red in the face and it grew even more so the more Draco laughed. Eventually she huffed and tried to remove herself from his grasp, but he only held on tighter.

"Ah, ah, ah, you know how this goes." Draco playfully admonished. Hermione cocked a brow, her annoyance with him diminishing quickly and replaced with amusement.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. So, if you want me to let you go you're going to have to say it."

"I'd rather get bitten by a snake." She said automatically, those words having rolled off her tongue so many times before.

It was their game. A silly little game that required her to say something praiseworthy about Slytherin House. She'd never say anything like that of course, and always opted for getting bit by a snake. Draco, naturally, had always been the snake in question, and Hermione didn't contemplate the consequences of her words until she felt his hold on her grow firmer. He chuckled, removing one hand to place it on her cheek.

"No need to look so scared, love." He said softly. His thumb was caressing her face now, gently gliding over the corner of her lips just once. "I'm not going to do it. I do appreciate the invitation though."

Draco smiled before placing a chaste kiss on Hermione's forehead and easing her off of him. Hermione didn't know what was worse, that she'd set herself up for such a trap or that she was disappointed he didn't do it. Draco, on the other hand, was kicking himself for being such a gentleman.

* * *

Draco faked his way through the rest of his date with Hermione. Somehow, although he wasn't quite so sure, he thought that she had too. Despite wanting to think about it, wonder what her feelings were and to process his own, he needed a distraction. When he and Hermione went their separate ways, Draco found his way of escape when he noticed an owl perched on his bedroom window ledge, patiently waiting to get in.

It was Astoria's owl, and she had written him to ask if he was free for dinner at seven. Draco sighed. He hadn't been lying when he told Hermione about his outings with Astoria over the recent years. The moment she'd found out about his divorce she flew to his side and tried her hardest to become his next wife. She was beautiful, yes. She had a certain poise and elegance that any man of the social elite would be lucky to have, yes. Unlike other women of their shared social status, she spoke her mind. And, once again, unlike other women, and despite still gravitating to the richest men possible, she worked and could turn a business revenue faster than anyone. Astoria, quite plainly, was a catch. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that Hermione hated her, Draco didn't entertain fickle people.

When Draco had married Hermione, sure his friends thought he was mad. Some even went as far as to think him Imperiused. And yet out of all of them, Astoria had been the only one to cut him off completely. He supposed it was because she still had high hopes of marrying him one day and this "betrayal" had been the last straw. To suddenly flock to him once his marriage was over had been the most unattractive thing she could've ever done. It had further ensured a shutdown of every advance of hers and, considering how her life was shaping out now, Draco thought it to be a good call.

To still call Astoria a friend now might make him a bit hypocritical, but she became a lot more tolerable once she stopped coming after him. Not to mention that, at the time of his divorce, she'd surprisingly been the only person _not_ to say "I told you so."

"Draco, it's good to see you!" Astoria greeted once he'd walked up to the table the maitre d' had led him to. "I wasn't sure if you'd gotten my owl."

"I got it a bit late and figured you'd be gone by the time my reply got to your house, so I decided to come straight here."

"Well, I'm glad you could make it."

Draco smiled cordially and began to peruse the menu. He just realized that he hadn't eaten anything since just before his and Hermione's counseling session some five hours ago.

"You're an expert on the finer things as well as money." Astoria said suddenly. "Tell me, how much could I get for this?"

Draco looked up from his menu and saw that Astoria had taken off her wedding ring and set it in the middle of the table. He reached over and took it between his fingers. It held one large diamond in the middle and two smaller (yet still large) ones, on either side of it. The band was pure gold and it held two sets of initials on the inside. After staring at it for a few moments, he shrugged and set back down on the table.

"My guess is four thousand, four thousand-five if you're lucky."

Astoria scowled viciously as she took the ring back up and slipped it onto her hand –her _right_ hand. "My ex-husband is so cheap."

Draco chuckled and merely shook his head at her as he picked back up his menu. Four thousand galleons was hardly cheap, but if he compared it to ten thousand –how much he'd spent on Hermione's engagement ring and that ring _alone_ –then yes, Astoria's ex-husband was a cheapskate. It all depended on how you looked at it.

"It's alright. With your looks and persistence by this time next year you'll find yourself another husband. Richer this time, I'm sure."

Draco didn't miss the frown that Astoria produced at his words. He eyed her curiously and once again set aside his menu. "What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing… Just...something that Granger said recently that popped into my mind is all."

The blonde before her didn't forget that she and his wife had seen each other in a bridal shoppe just the other day. Now, Draco had two options. He could either be the good friend and try to figure out what was obviously bothering her, or he could take the selfish route. The selfish route involved asking her about Hermione, and it was quite tempting to do the latter. Sure, he saw her more often than Astoria did, but who was to say that the two women hadn't talked about something that was worth hearing? What if, by some grace of Merlin, Hermione had said something about her pending nuptials that he could use to his advantage?

"You saw Hermione?"

Astoria's sadness disappeared immediately. Now her curiosity was piqued. "Perhaps… Why do you care?"

Draco snorted. "I don't."

 _Lie._

"I could care less."

 _Bigger lie._

"But since you mentioned her…"

Astoria was more than amused by his ramblings. She humored him. "I was with Pansy helping her pick out her wedding dress. That's where I saw Granger. She's getting remarried –and to someone whose Gringotts vault _must_ be dreadfully empty, I might add."

"I bet." Draco sneered and Astoria stared at her dinner companion in awe. There was so much anger behind those two words that she felt that he was mad at _her_. She muttered a soft "hmm" and kept her comments to herself until their waiter came to take their orders. When he was gone, the man sitting across from her was still fuming.

Astoria smiled sweetly. "Why Draco, if I didn't know any better I'd say that you were jealous of Granger's fiancé."

Draco huffed. "Obviously you don't know any better."

Astoria laughed. "Oh yes, _definitely_ jealous. As well you should be. Whoever's marrying her is one lucky man."

Draco's eyes snapped to hers and widened in disbelief. " _I beg your pardon?_ "

"You heard me." She replied, taking a small sip of her water. "I may not have liked the woman or the fact that she got to marry you, but despite her _status_ ," Astoria carefully worded. "She was perfect for you. Arrogant, stubborn, _always_ wanting to be right. Granger was the one person this side of England, hell the whole country, who could match you."

"I can't believe you're saying this."

Astoria shrugged. "We've all got to grow up sometime."

"I suppose so."

"Yes." Astoria hummed happily. "Because being taught from birth to marry a powerful man is one thing, but growing up and learning later that being a powerful _couple_ is better, is most definitely as such. Now that we're on the subject," she added as her eyes darted to a table off to their right. "What do you think of potential husband number two?"

Draco glanced to where she was discretely staring, looked back at her, and shook his head. _Typical Astoria._ "I know him. And he's richer than your ex."

"Excellent."

* * *

"This was a good idea, Hermione." Ron said excitedly as he slipped off his shoes in exchange for the ice skates. "You always loved to ice skate. When was the last time you even did this?"

"I don't know; it's been so long." Hermione lied. She was sitting next to him with her hands gripping the edge of the bench. Were Ron a bit more observant, he would've noticed how hard she was holding onto it. She was anxious, not to mention nervous, and certainly not to mention feeling oh so guilty for what she was doing.

Just yesterday she and Draco had gone ice skating and Hermione had gone home feeling...feeling wrong. Today was her and Ron's date night, and she felt terrible for using it as her personal experiment. She kept hearing Draco's voice in her head about testing her relationship with Ron. What test out there was better than this? It was the same type of date at the same ice rink. The only difference was her companion. Perfect.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Hermione looked over at Ron and grinned. "Great, let's go!"

Ron was much better at maneuvering on ice skates than Draco was. It might've helped that he and his brothers used to play an ice variation of Quiditch whenever they were home from Hogwarts and still played when the opportunity presented itself. And so, there were no wobbly legs nor a need for Hermione to balance him. He did hold her hand though as he always did when they were out together.

Ron went out onto the ice first, gently pulling her out onto it with him. Hermione obliged and soon they were traveling smoothly around the rink, hand-in-hand, avoiding all collisions with walls, other people, and each other.

They talked while they skated. They laughed. They smiled at each other lovingly. There was one time when Ron got tripped up and he crashed onto the ice, bringing Hermione right down with him. They bumped heads in the process and laughed hysterically as they rubbed each other's foreheads. After returning their skates they headed to the ice cream parlor –something that hadn't happened last night at all. They shared an enormous sundae and Hermione scowled at him when he stole the last cherry from between her fingers. She smiled soon after when he (grudgingly) let her have the last spoonful of ice cream.

All in all, Hermione couldn't deny, that compared to her date with Draco, tonight with Ron was perfect. There'd been no whining, no complaining, no fighting. It was just...perfect. And yet she couldn't help but miss and daresay _desire_ Draco's imperfections.

Why did she want that?

She _shouldn't_ want that.

But the fact of the matter was that she did, and her blood ran cold at the thought of it.

* * *

 **Author's note:** The walls are starting to crumble. There's no denying that for Hermione now, but, as Draco said, she tends to fight pretty hard for what she has. Unless of course something "disastrous derails it." I hope this makes you wonder what "disaster" ruined her and Draco's marriage then.

Thanks for the wonderful support as always! The amount of reviews for the previous chapter astounded me. You all are great :D

-WP


	10. Coming to Terms

Draco checked his watch once more. Dr. Milligan was waiting patiently, but he too was glancing at the clock that hung above his client's head. Both were painfully aware that Hermione was _never_ late. Even if by chance she was, it was never more than five minutes, not twenty. Something was wrong.

"I have to go look for her." Draco said suddenly as he rose from the sofa. Dr. Milligan nodded as he also got to his feet.

"Very well. And don't worry, I won't charge for the session. I'll just put it towards the next one, if that's alright?"

"That's fine."

Draco left Dr. Milligan's office in search of Hermione. While he was frantically about, apparating to every place he thought she might be and worrying that she had dropped dead somewhere, said witch was perfectly fine. She had made a clear, conscious choice not to go to the counseling session today. Instead of leaving her office early, she stayed behind and partook in every nervous habit imaginable –particularly nail biting.

Hermione had already bitten the nails on her left hand to the nub and was halfway through her right when a loud _pop!_ resonated in the room. She looked up to the figure standing in the middle of her office and she practically leapt out of her seat.

"Draco, what the hell are you doing here?!" She shouted. She quickly took out her wand and casted several locking and silencing charms on her office door. She even temporarily deactivated her Floo. "Someone could've been here! _Ron_ could've been here!"

Draco took a quick look around before laying his eyes back on her, his nostrils flaring almost as badly as hers. "Since no one is, let's stick to the matter at hand, shall we? I've been looking everywhere for you! Why weren't you at Dr. Milligan's office?"

Hermione pursed her lips and pulled down her rolled up sleeves before returning to her seat. "I decided not to go today. I probably should've owled you in advance or called Dr. Milligan, but I was…quite busy with my work."

Draco narrowed his eyes. He stared at her desk, perfectly clean and not a piece of parchment, quill, or book out of place. He huffed. "You're a terrible liar. Try again."

Hermione groaned exasperatedly and crossed her arms angrily over her chest. "This isn't a big deal, Draco. So what I didn't go today? Maybe I won't go next week. Hell, maybe I won't go the week after that either. It's been _weeks_. I admit, we've had interesting sessions, and sure, it may have us acting a bit more amicable. _But open your eyes!_ I'm still planning a wedding despite what's happening."

Draco's ears twitched at those last words. He took a step closer as Hermione shrank back in her seat. "What's happening?"

"Nothing,"

"Like I said, terrible liar."

Hermione clamped her mouth shut and refused to meet his eyes. Draco's heart was aching yet again, and he could see from the look on her face that hers was the same. He swallowed and took one of the seats in front of her desk.

"You can't marry Weasley."

Hermione looked up for a short moment before chuckling and looking down again. "You should really start throwing around another sales pitch-"

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Hermione sighed and starting going in on her right hand nails again. Before long she stopped and placed both of her hands in her lap as well as her gaze. "It's not uncommon, you know. For former spouses to feel something again after reminiscing..." She braved the task of staring at Draco and immediately regretted it. He looked hopeful, but she knew her words were only going to crush him. "But under different circumstances this would never happen."

Draco frowned. "But these _aren't_ different circumstances. If you're starting to love me again then-"

"I never stopped loving you." Hermione interrupted. She shrugged and began playing with the hems of her sleeves. "I don't think I ever could. But I love Ron more."

The flinch Draco exhibited made Hermione do the same. Soon he was rising out of his chair and standing in the middle of her office again. As he prepared to disapparate Draco gave her once last look.

"You never took me off the list."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Your office," he gestured to the room. "Only people with clearance from the office holder can apparate in and out of here." Draco smiled then, a soft, knowing smile that made Hermione fidget terribly. "I'll see you next week, Hermione."

* * *

The following week came much faster than Hermione could have anticipated. She had greatly considered not going to this session either, but the last thing that she wanted was for Draco to suddenly tack on more sessions as recompense for missing others. Her wedding was four months away, and she needed to be shot of her husband as soon as possible.

"Hermione," Draco greeted as he entered Dr. Milligan's office. She had only gotten there five minutes before him and was sitting in her usual spot.

"Draco,"

He met her address with a nod and sat down. Neither said anything else while Dr. Milligan watched his two clients. Something was different about them today. Their relationship, as he'd determined thus far, was strained. It always had been –before they were friends, while they were dating, during their marriage, and even now after all this time apart. But even then, it was a strain that they both welcomed and daresay enjoyed. This tension now, this _very_ palpable disruption in their relationship, this was quite new.

Dr. Milligan decided not to address it, as he was quite sure it would come out during the session on its own.

"As I said two weeks prior, I'd like to take our sessions into a different direction. While this may not be pleasant, I'd like to start talking about what you feel…went wrong during your marriage. The things that you feel eventually contributed to your divorce."

Hermione frowned. She looked across at Draco who was sporting the same expression. "It was…"

Draco cleared his throat. "There were a lot of…"

"How about this," Dr. Milligan said. "Think of your marriage. Your problems. Name the first thing that comes to your mind."

The office grew silent for a moment. After a few passing seconds both parties answered with surprising strength in their tones.

"Insecurities,"

"Weasley,"

Hermione rounded on Draco quickly at his answer and felt blood rush to her face. "Are you kidding me? _That's_ what you really think? We had much bigger problems Draco and he was _not_ it.'

"He was too, and you _know it_." Draco practically snarled at her. Dr. Milligan was surprised at the anger suddenly in the room and tentatively tried to capture their attention.

"I'm sorry, but who's Weasley?"

"Her _ex_."

"And my friend at the time." Hermione added to Dr. Milligan before returning her furious gaze back to Draco. "You've never liked him. You hated him the worst out of all of my friends, so _of course_ you'd pin our failure on him."

"No, I pin our failure on him because he was a like a bloody cockroach! We argue, and he's there. At our house, in a letter, a Floo call-"

" _Draco!_ "

"-And I knew what he was saying. That I wasn't worth it. That you'd made a mistake. That you could do better. It could have been anyone else –Potter, his wife, hell, even the local barkeep, but _Weasley?_ The one who'd been following you around like puppy _for years?_ The only reason I never hexed his arse-"

" _Draco, damn it!"_

"-Is because you would've hated me for it."

Hermione was beyond angry. Not just because he'd essentially blamed Ron for everything that went wrong with them, but also because he so blatantly alluded to magic in front of Dr. Milligan. Their counselor, however, was busily jotting down notes about them and was seemingly oblivious to the "oddities" that had spewed out of Draco's mouth.

She took a deep breath to calm her raging nerves. "I admit that you weren't his favorite person, but I was, and still am, a big girl. I wouldn't be so easily swayed just because I was mad at you!"

"Oh yeah, why did we file for divorce then?" Draco challenged. "Why, out of _every man out there_ , did it have to be him for you to start seeing?"

Hermione huffed. "You can't control who you fall for. You should know that better than anyone. And to answer your first question, it was because _you_ didn't think we could last."

Draco gaped at her. "When the hell did I ever say that?"

"When you said you didn't want to have children…with me." Hermione said sadly, her anger gone as quickly as it had come. "That's what told me that."

Draco swallowed deeply. He wished more than anything now that Dr. Milligan wasn't there and that he and Hermione were alone. He needed to talk to her. He needed to make her understand that that _wasn't_ how he'd meant for her to take it. And, for Merlin's sake, if that had been her motivation for wanting to divorce him…

Well, the last five years had been an unnecessary waste, hadn't they?

* * *

This week…was a hard week. Hermione had felt a sadness she hadn't felt since getting divorced from Draco. She thought that putting her heart and soul into wedding planning would help take her mind off of things, but it only helped so much. Being around Ron only made Draco's words about him resound in her ears. By Sunday she was turning down dinner at the Weasley residence to spend an evening with her parents. While her father got shooed out of the kitchen by the women, Hermione and her mother got to work on dinner.

"Do you remember Mrs. Duncan? The woman who lives just a few houses down?"

Hermione scrunched her brows together in thought as she tackled vegetables with a knife. "The one who comes to play cards with you sometimes?"

"Yes, that's the one. Well, it was during one of our card games recently that she told me that her daughter got a part-time job."

"That's nice. Good for her to get a little money rolling in."

"Isn't it? She...ah...got the job at an ice rink."

Hermione slowed her chopping down immediately, but didn't look up at her mother. The ice rink. _The ice rink_. But she was there with both Draco and Ron. Oh no… "Oh?"

"Mhmm, Katie. I don't expect you to know her, but she's been to the house plenty of times and, well, with all the photographs your father and I have of you..."

Hermione's chopping had stopped altogether now and she finally turned to her mother. "You're fishing, mum. What is it?"

Mrs. Granger sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. "Katie saw you at the ice rink last week with a, and I quote, handsome blonde guy. She also added that you two were quite friendly."

Hermione felt terrible. She knew what her mother must be thinking, and all at once she began to feel appalled.

"I would never cheat on Ron. Mum, you should know that. You should know _me_."

Her mother's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I know, and I'm sorry dear. I just...I had to ask. Please, forgive me."

Hermione didn't want to. She felt utterly betrayed by her mother, but held in her anger because she remembered what had happened at the ice rink. She knew what it must've looked like. She also knew what she'd felt. That, in its own right, made her feel like she'd cheated.

Hermione frowned. "It's alright. We were having a good time that night. The fun –innocent fun, I might add –that we were having could've easily seemed like something more. I assure you that it wasn't."

"Good." Mrs. Granger smiled. She went back to kneading dough, but kept looking at her daughter from her periphery. Hermione knew that she wanted to say something more. She wasn't surprised then by what came out of her mouth. "Who was he?"

Hermione was absolutely dreading her mother's reaction. She went back to chopping vegetables so she wouldn't have to look at her when she said, "It was Draco."

Her mother turned to get daughter with wide eyes. "Draco?"

"Yes."

" _Draco_ , Draco?"

"Yes."

"As in your _ex-husband_ , Draco?"

"Mum!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But... _Draco_? The two of you haven't spoken in five years!"

Hermione frowned bitterly. How was it that her own mother didn't fudge with the length of time of her divorce, but she did?

"When on earth did this happen?"

"October,"

"October!" Her mother gasped. She then pinched her daughter on the arm and Hermione yelped. "Hermione Jean Granger, you mean to tell me that you've been in contact with your ex-husband since October and you've just now told me?!"

"I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Well it certainly is! You know good and well that boy was like a son to me!"

Hermione tried to hide her smile. Her mother wasn't exaggerating. She'd heard plenty of awful stories about Draco from her over the years, and so when Hermione told her mother, her father too, who she was dating, they had both been skeptical and thought her mad. Nearly six months into the relationship Draco was brought home to meet her parents. Hermione had expected her father to rip him to shreds, but was thoroughly thrown for a loop when her mother had done it instead. She'd walked right up to Draco, no hello, no welcome to our home, and said, "Our daughter says you're not cruel as you once were. Must be true for her to be seeing you. But if you do anything to hurt her, this _muggle_ will do worse to you than if I were a witch. Understand?"

After Draco had stared in shock for a few seconds, he nodded. Mrs. Granger smiled then, finally issuing words of welcome and promptly began giving him a tour of the house. After that night was over, Hermione had apologized profusely to him, but Draco waved her off and smiled broadly. "I love your mother. She reminds me of you."

Mrs. Granger had loved him too. He was, as she said, like a son to him, and they wrote each other often. He even visited the Granger residence without Hermione, just to see her mother. That said, their divorce had broken her. She and Draco had continued writing to each other even after the divorce –mostly filled with Mrs. Granger's deepest wishes that he and her daughter find a way to work things out. Those letters stopped, however, when Hermione found out and screamed at her mother for keeping in contact with him. Her father had disapproved of how she'd handled the situation. She hadn't cared. It was only now that she regretted breaking up such a wonderful relationship.

"How is he?"

Hermione was wrenched from her thoughts. "He's doing well. I'll let him know you asked about him."

It got quiet then. Both women went back to their respective cooking tasks, but soon the silence was breached again.

"You two had ended so terribly." Mrs. Granger said softly. "How did you get on friendly terms with him again?"

 _The "son" you love so much blackmailed me._

"He saw my wedding announcement and owled to congratulate me."

Her mother scoffed. "Draco _congratulated_ you? He does know that you're marrying Ron, right?"

 _Merlin, she knows him well._

"Yes, he does."

 _"Is he ill?_ "

"Mum..."

"Oh don't 'mum' me. We both know Draco, and he would sooner give up magic and live as a muggle than approve of your engagement to Ron."

Hermione couldn't help her grin. "Is it really that hard to believe that he's...matured?"

Mrs. Granger gave her an incredulous look. Hermione couldn't hold it back and smiled fully. Soon she was laughing. "Alright, alright, he hates the idea. He thinks I can do better." She bit her lower lip and sighed. "I hate him for it."

Her mother gazed at her daughter with a sad expression. "No, you don't. You could never hate him. You loved him much too much for those feelings to ever turn to true hate. For them to...go away."

Hermione suddenly stared at her mother harshly. "What are you saying?"

Mrs. Granger sighed. "Just that Draco's thoughts on the matter wouldn't be affecting you so much if you didn't still feel something. And he wouldn't care about you getting remarried if _he_ didn't still feel something."

Hermione scowled. "Draco doesn't care that I'm getting married again. He cares that it's Ron." Her face softened as she took back up her chopping. "I know that he still loves me. I...love him too. We were married. It's natural. But if he really, _truly_ loved me, he'd want me to be happy and let me live my life."

"I see." Mrs. Granger replied solemnly. She stared at her daughter, took in her slumped shoulders, her sorrowful disposition, and felt the weight that her only child was carrying. "May I say something?"

Hermione nodded.

"It's...a bit hard to 'live your life' as you say when you're ice skating with the very person you want to get away from."

Hermione immediately nicked her finger on the knife she was holding. It hurt, yes, but nothing hurt more than what her mother had just said. But she didn't understand, did she? She didn't know that she was stuck with Draco for the time being. Her mother didn't know that her relationship with Ron was being tested. That _she_ was being tested. And as blood from Hermione's finger mingled in with freshly chopped vegetables, so did a tear.

She was failing her test.

* * *

When Mrs. Granger saw the tears streaming down her daughter's face she knew that there was a lot more going on than what there appeared to be. So, with her full mother mode on, she removed her daughter from the kitchen, sat her down in the living room, and they talked. They talked a lot. Hermione told her the truth, starting with the denied marriage license up to her hideous realization that she had begun to want her relationship with Ron to be like the one she had with Draco.

"None of this would be happening if he had just signed the damn divorce papers when I asked."

Mrs. Granger frowned. "I do admit that was quite childish of him."

"It's Draco." Hermione shrugged. "But I have to be fair and blame myself too. I'm a smart girl. I could've found another way."

"Why didn't you?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "He challenged me... My relationship... I wanted to prove him wrong and, that too, was childish."

"It was." Her mother agreed. "Why don't you do it now?"

"Do what?"

"Find another way. It's obvious Draco wants to keep this going –to keep you from marrying Ron. You said it yourself. You're a smart girl. Why don't you find another way to finalize your divorce?"

Hermione hung her head low in shame before answering. "Because I'm...curious. Dr. Milligan is a wonderful marriage counselor. I just can't help but wonder if he can, you know, fix us."

"So, let me get this straight." Her mother said with an amused smile. "You want to, in essence, fix your relationship with Draco, but still marry Ron? Sweetheart, you do realize how improbable that is, don't you?"

"Of course I do. But it's not like I want to fix things just to be with him. That's not it at all."

"It's not?"

"No!" Hermione yelled with much less conviction than there should've been. "I just... I want to know if we could've worked."

"What then? What if you find out that it could have? That it still can?"

Hermione frowned. She didn't know. She honestly didn't know.

* * *

 **Author's note:** On the funny side, I had a blast writing Mrs. Granger's reaction to finding out Hermione's been talking to Draco. She's just so…cute haha. On a more serious note: Draco. Of course you already know that he hates Ron, but this was some fierce bout of anger that came out of him during the counseling session. Then there's Hermione and a tiny glimpse of what drove her away. If it hasn't before, I hope the image of Draco and Hermione's marriage is starting to come full circle. The rest of that circle is chapter 11.

-WP


	11. Confessions

**Author's note #1** : Hi All! So, I never post ANs at the beginning of a chapter, but I felt the need for this one for courtesy's sake. Something rather sensitive is going to be discussed here, so if as you're reading you feel a little unnerved by it, do feel free to skim/skip over it. It can still be inferred from context. Thanks :)

* * *

Hermione's talk with her mother did _not_ help in the way that she thought it would. In fact, it made her even more confused than she already was. She couldn't get her mother's question out of her mind and all last night she kept trying to answer it. What would happen, really? What if she and Draco weren't a lost cause and Dr. Milligan could get them stable enough to try again? Would she want to?

 _No, no, you shouldn't be asking yourself that! You're engaged. You're getting married in four months. It shouldn't matter. It_ _ **doesn't**_ _matter. It can't matter. It just-_

"Hermione, you're burning breakfast."

"What? Oh!"

Ron watched as Hermione quickly moved the frying pan away from the flame and turned off the stove. The smell of burnt eggs was finally hitting her nose and she couldn't believe that she had been so deep in her thoughts to have caused such an un-delicious damage.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired is all."

"If you want, I can finish breakfast so you can get a bit more shut eye before work."

Hermione chuckled as she threw out the eggs and grabbed fresh ones. "As much as I'd love that Ron, I trust myself much more in kitchen than I do you."

Ron faked hurt, but then was all smiles as his fiancée set to work again. He took his customary seat and then got up when the mail owl came through the window. Of course, like usual as of late mostly everything was for her. The _Daily Prophet_ was his, so he grabbed that one immediately. Out of everything else that was there, there was a letter that was addressed to both her and him. As he picked it up, he recognized that it was from the Ministry. A closer look told him that it came from the Marriage Registration Department. He furrowed his brow, wondering what they could be contacting him and Hermione about.

Ron opened the letter. It was short, but its words had built up enough confusion within him to force him to get up from his seat and walk over to his fiancée.

"Hermione,"

"Hmm?"

"Why did we get a letter from the Marriage Registration Department saying that our marriage license application is set to expire next month?"

Hermione's panic levels rose to dangerous heights. She was still standing at the stove, her back to him, and she took this moment to swallow, close her eyes, and take a deep breath. Time was winding down. She knew this. She had only hoped she could've gotten this whole Draco situation finished without having to get Ron involved. Now it was too late.

With the stove turned off, Hermione turned to him and held nothing back. "It's set to expire because I never picked it up."

Ron's jaw dropped. "What do you mean? But you said-"

"I lied because I wanted to spare you this… _horrible_ situation I'm in. It… It has to deal with Draco."

Ron's mouth snapped shut then as his eyes narrowed to slits. "What about him?"

Hermione was wringing her hands by now, but she wouldn't cast her eyes to the ground. That would make her look guilty for something that was completely out of her control. She sighed. "They couldn't process our marriage license because I'm still legally married to him."

"But that's not possible! You processed a divorce! I went with you to drop off the signed papers and everything!"

"We thought we did, but apparently there'd been a clerical error all those years ago. Draco and I have to sign another set of divorce papers and I've been trying, Ron." Hermione pleaded with him, although she wouldn't dare tell him _how_ she'd been trying. "I really have been. I know I should've told you from day one, but I just really wanted to get this straightened out without having you to worry about him. But Draco's being…"

Ron's ears tinged as he listened to her speak, his attention wavering. Truth be told, he was angrier at the blonde nuisance –although he had no right to be –more than he was at Hermione, but he wasn't _totally_ unreasonable. His fiancée had lied, and lied _to his face_. And with a quick calculation, he realized that it'd been five months since his and her marriage license was supposed to be picked up. That in itself was…odd.

"Why is it taking so long?" Ron interrupted her speech. Hermione paused, her brows scrunched together.

"What?"

"It takes two seconds to jot down a signature." He continued. "It's been _months_. Answer me, Hermione."

Hermione suddenly felt a wave of familiar scrutiny overcome her. Ron looked and sounded exactly like her mother did last night. She knew that his insinuation was a natural reaction to have, but even then, her skin flushed terribly as her own eyes narrowed just as his had.

"What are you saying?"

"What are you _not_ saying?"

 _The sessions. We've been having marriage counseling sessions…_

"Draco's being Draco, Ron." Hermione said to him, her conscience slowly ebbing away at her. "He won't sign them. He's being a complete and total arse, and this whole situation, that should've been taken care of in one day, hasn't been. You know him."

Ron snarled. "Yeah, I know him. And he's going to sign those divorce papers _today_."

Ron stomped away from her and towards the bedroom. Hermione's eyes nearly popped out of her skull when he came back, fully dressed, with his wand in hand. "Ron! Ron, what do you think you're doing?!"

"The git's going to sign those papers even if I have to Imperius him to do it."

"Ron, no! You can't do that!"

Ron halted his steps and whipped himself around. "What do you mean I can't?"

"I mean that I'm forbidding you from going anywhere near him." Hermione said sternly. She let out a haggard breath and ran her hands through her hair. "For Merlin's sake, think logically about this. If he won't sign for me, what makes you think that he'd do it for you?"

"That's why I have this." Ron said with an evil smile and glint in his eye as he dangled his wand in front of her face. Hermione frowned.

"Ron, I'm serious."

"So am I."

" _Ron-_ "

" _Why_ are you defending him?"

"I'm not!" Hermione said with a frustrated groan. "Just trust me when I say that I'm wearing him down, alright? Draco's stubborn. We know this. But I know how to handle him better than you do."

Ron scoffed. "For someone who knows him better than I do, this shouldn't have taken _five months_."

Hermione kept her scowl on the inside. Instead she nodded compliantly. "I agree, but the last thing we need is for you to go over there, confront him, and land yourself in Azkaban for kicking his arse."

Despite being angry, Ron let a small smirk come to his lips. "I'm an Auror. I'm sure I could get off."

Hermione shook her head at him and chuckled. His dry and grim sense of humor was a good sign that she was getting through to him. She took this chance to take his hands in hers and hold them tight.

"I really am sorry, Ron. I wanted to avoid, well, a situation like this." Hermione gestured to the wand jetting out from between his and her clasped hands. "I didn't think he'd be _this_ much of a prat about it. The papers _will_ be signed."

Ron sighed. "The wedding's in June, Hermione."

"I know."

"That's four months away."

"It'll be signed long before then."

Ron looked down at their hands and nodded. She could feel him wanting to let them go, but he didn't. Not before he stared into her eyes with a firm, unwavering expression.

"I hope so."

* * *

A disastrous Monday. An alright Tuesday, considering Dr. Milligan had to cancel a session. A moody Wednesday. And now, a shrug-worthy Thursday as Hermione sat at a booth at Eileen's Tea and Pastries. Since her and Ron's "loud" discussion of their marriage license, every day he looked at her expectantly –as though waiting for her to display the license they were supposed to have gotten months ago. She knew that as each day passed without it, Ron grew sadder as well as suspicious. It was eating at Hermione viciously.

Sighing, she took a bite out of her scone and washed it down with a touch of her drink. She'd only been sitting in Eileen's for about twenty minutes, but since that time the small restaurant had become ridiculously crowded. And yet, despite the people, despite the noise, despite the utter _chaos_ , Draco had managed to find her.

The blonde strolled up to the side of her table, but didn't sit down. He merely looked at her, at her meal, and then brought his gaze to her face again. "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Well, aside from the fact that I know you as well as I know myself, you're eating your 'unhappy lunch.'"

Hermione looked down at her food. She had ordered a chocolate, chocolate-drizzled scone, a chocolate flake milkshake, and a chocolate chip muffin. She hadn't even realized what she'd done until Draco had mentioned it. She must've been more out of it than she thought.

"…Ron found out about our non-processed divorce on Monday. It goes without saying that he's not happy about it."

Draco's mouth formed a small "O." His wife's disposition certainly made sense now –her frown, the prominent worry lines on her forehead, as well as her slumped shoulders. He frowned. This wasn't what he wanted. Honestly, he didn't think the counseling sessions would last this long as he'd thought that she would come to her senses much sooner. It was February now.

Draco sighed and sat down opposite her. She didn't scowl at him or try to stop him. That was proof enough that she was feeling miserable. Above anything else he wanted Hermione to be happy. It was all he ever wanted. It was what prompted him to say this next bit, despite not wanting to.

"Dr. Milligan has our next few sessions planned out. He told me so that day you didn't show. They're supposed to end next month, on the third, and then we're supposed to take a couple days –to think about what was said –and decide if we want to continue. So, that's the day. Tell Weasley that the divorce papers will be signed by the third."

"He'll ask why they can't be signed earlier."

Draco shrugged. "Tell him I'm on vacation."

"And why couldn't you have signed them _before_ you went on 'vacation?'"

He smirked. "I'm a prat. It's perfectly in my character to do such a thing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She smiled although she didn't want to, but at least it was progress. Ron will be happy to hear it, and maybe then he could stop killing her with silent grief. She and Draco sat together in silence for a bit –it being broken when a waitress asked him if he wanted anything. He asked for a blueberry muffin and some tea before turning his attention back to Hermione.

"My mum knows everything by the way."

Draco cocked a brow. " _Everything?_ "

"Everything,"

He was feeling uncomfortable now. He couldn't fathom why Hermione would tell her mother about what was going on between them, and he hated the fact that she had. The elder Granger probably despised him for it, and now he felt just as terrible as Hermione did.

"She sends her love."

He blinked. " _She does?_ Are you _sure_ you told her everything?"

Hermione nodded. "I did. And she wanted me to tell you anyway." She sighed then before adding, "You can…write her, if you like."

" _Really?_ "

"Really. My mother's always liked talking to you, so, go ahead. It's…it's fine."

"O…okay. But, Hermione," Draco swallowed. "Why would you tell your mother about-?"

"It's complicated." She cut him off. Draco opened his mouth to press further, but the harsh look she gave him put an end to that. Despite loving to pick a fight, this was the one time that he chose to concede.

* * *

"So, our last session got a little…heated." Dr. Milligan began. He could sense the tension between his clients and fully anticipated another screaming match. "I wanted to pick up where we left off with you, Hermione."

Her eyes widened. " _Me?_ "

"Yes. We've pretty much discovered what –or _who_ , rather –Draco felt contributed most to your divorce. I'd like to focus on you for a bit, if you don't mind?"

Hermione did in fact mind. She minded a lot. There were many things that she could talk about concerning Draco and their marriage, but how it ended? How it ended was more than a sore spot for her. It was a deep wound that was incapable of healing.

"You mentioned that 'insecurities' are what contributed most. You also mentioned that when Draco said he didn't want to have children with you, that it told you he didn't think your relationship would last. Would you mind elaborating on one or both of these?"

"They're both a bit one in the same." Hermione said, adding a nervous chuckle at the end. She could feel Draco's penetrating stare, but she wouldn't dare look at him. Not now. Not while they were talking about this.

"How so?"

"Well, if you want to believe what a surprising chunk of the population did at the time, Draco and I…" _How do I say this in muggle terms?_ "Draco came from a 'higher' social status than I did. Naturally, so did his family and friends and they certainly didn't approve."

"And I didn't care that they hadn't." Draco inputted, and Hermione rounded on him instantly.

"You didn't care? _You didn't care?_ Oh, how quickly we forget when we talked about starting a family." She spat at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "What were your words again? Ah yes, I remember. 'I'd rather not have children _with you_ than to live with the scrutiny of everyone in our lives at the combination of two incompatible social status-holders."

Those hadn't been his exact words, of course, but for Dr. Milligan's sake, that's what she'd amended. What Draco had really (and crudely) said was that he'd rather not have children with her than to live with the scrutiny of everyone in their lives at their half-breed. It had struck the deepest nerve back then, and remembering it now was striking it even harder than it had the first time.

" _How_ could you have said that?" Hermione demanded, but effectively cutting him off before he could even respond. "And if you felt that way about our future children, how could I not think about us? If that's how you felt about someone who didn't exist, how did you really feel about _me_? About being _with me-?_ "

"Stop." Draco said sternly. He turned to her, his face solid as he began shaking his head. "Don't. I don't want to hear you say that. I mean, _seriously_ , Hermione? How could you _ever_ doubt that I loved you?"

"In that moment? Oh, it was very easy. And don't even talk about the ensuing six months." She laughed then, sadness evident in her voice. "That practically demolished every sincere thought I ever believed you had for me and vice versa." Hermione addressed Dr. Milligan then. For him to call the emotion that was brewing behind her eyes as "pain" would've been a _gross_ understatement. "I thought I was going to lose my voice, we'd been yelling at each other so much. It was surprising then, the night we signed our divorce papers, how _quiet_ it had been. So…so calm. It was scary, to be honest.

'As I was signing I began to think, to wonder that if the quiet could come back then…maybe the peace we had? But as quickly as I thought it, it was gone just as fast. Right then and there, I _hated_ him. I wanted nothing to do with him and there was nothing to keep me there –especially since I'd lost the-"

Hermione paused. She looked positively mortified at what she was about to say. She looked to Draco who was staring at her with an inquisitive eye. Dr. Milligan was also giving her a curious gaze, and despite her obvious reluctance, he dared to press the issue.

"Lost the what, Hermione?"

She swallowed deeply, casting her attention towards her lap. "…The baby. Since I'd lost the baby."

Draco could've dropped dead right at that moment. He didn't hear her correctly, did he? Surely he hadn't. He _couldn't have_.

"You were pregnant?"

Hermione stared at him with watery eyes. "There was a reason I was so baby crazy, Draco, and it wasn't because of Ginny. After you'd made it perfectly clear that you thought having kids with me was a bad -no, a _horrible_ idea, I was too afraid to tell you.

'And then a week after I found out I was pregnant, I'd lost it. I…woke up to the most excruciating pain. You were nowhere in sight so I went to St. Mungo's myself. Spent a few hours there, came home, and locked myself in our bedroom for two days straight."

Draco remembered those two days. They had fought the night before that and the entire week for that matter. It had been talk of nothing but children. Hermione trying to tell him, trying to persuade him that having kids wouldn't have been the end of the world, but he had shot her down at every turn. Viciously, he might add. The fighting stopped when she had locked herself in their bedroom and he'd found it odd that that's what she had chosen to do. Hermione wasn't that kind of fighter. If she was going to ignore him, she was going to do it to his face, however paradoxical that may have sounded. But now that he knew the true reason, now that he knew that it was because she'd lost their first child…

"It was my fault." Draco said suddenly. His skin was ashen and lifeless and he felt like the entire world had just crumbled around him. "All the fighting, all the stress… It was my-"

"It wasn't your fault."

"You don't know that!"

"It doesn't matter! The baby's gone and it's been gone for a long time!" Hermione shouted at him, but she wasn't angry. Her eyes were small, they were wet, and her entire frame was shaking. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Hermione bolted from her seat and stormed out of Dr. Milligan's office. Draco wasted no time in running after her, spying her fleeing form opting for the stairs. He quickened his pace, roughly pushing open the door and catching a glimpse of her as she went down the next set of stairs.

"Hermione!" Draco called after her as he took the stairs two, sometimes three at a time. Despite how fast he was going he only ever saw parts of her –her flying hair, her trembling hands, her heavy breaths… Draco reached the ground floor just as she flew out of the door. "Hermione!"

It was raining heavily and drenched the sobbing brunette as she ran. Despite the storm, Hermione kept going. She had to keep moving. If she couldn't make it to the apparation spot then she'd flag down the first taxi she found. She couldn't face Draco right now. She just couldn't do it. Why didn't he understand that? _Why_ did he keep running after her? _And why_ , now that he'd finally caught up to her, did he hold onto her wrist and pull her thrashing body towards him?

"Draco, leave me alo-!"

Her words were muffled by Draco's chest as well a loud clap of thunder. He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Hermione tried to fight against him, tried to push him away, but the harder she fought, the more he held on. He held on long enough for her to finally stop struggling and to just let it out. And boy did she ever… She cried harder than he'd ever seen her and Draco simply stood there, holding her close, whispering how sorry he was into her ear, and listening to her sob even more ferociously every time he did.

* * *

 **Author's note #2:** Writing this last scene was...a piece of work. It was the second hardest one I had to write, possibly tying for first. I had to get it right, and I hope that I did, because I really wanted you to see what Hermione had been feeling at the time, not to mention the fact that it still hurts. As I mentioned to a couple reviewers, I had wanted to post this chapter (as well as chapter 10, but this more so) for a really long time. You see so much of how Draco's feeling concerning their divorce, but not very very much of Hermione. This was it. And I don't know about you, but in my opinion, I think Hermione's been hurt the most.

Thanks for reading everyone :)

-WP


	12. Decisions

Hermione was too distraught to go home. Instead she went to Draco's house and silently followed him to what used to be "their" study and was now "his" study –the same room she'd first presented him with the divorce papers. After magic had properly dried both her and Draco off, she sat down at one end of the long, plush sofa and fixed her gaze at a single spot on the floor. Her ears picked up the clinking of glasses and soon she was being given a short glass with amber liquid sitting inside. The smell hit her nose immediately and made her face crinkle.

"Is firewhiskey all you really have?"

"I used to have wine, but a certain wife of mine cleaned me out when she left." Draco smiled softly as he sat down in an armchair near her with his own glass.

Hermione hid the rouge in her cheeks by sipping on her drink. Yes, she had taken an assorted amount of wine when she had moved out. It was _her_ collection after all. Draco didn't know a thing about wine and it was her who had bought and catalogued every single one. Sadly enough her impressive collection had disappeared between her lips within two weeks following the supposed finalization of her and Draco's divorce.

Needless to say, it had been a miserable two weeks.

"I'm sorry for my breakdown." Hermione said eventually. She stopped sipping the firewhiskey and chugged it. It stung her throat terribly, but it certainly numbed her some.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You were completely justified in reacting the way you did." Draco reassured. His eyes followed his wife as she got up from her spot on the sofa and headed straight for the minibar. Her glass was refilled and gone again within seconds. He frowned at her.

"I'm sorry for not telling you. Gone or not I should've told you. You had every right to know, but I was just-"

"Afraid,"

Hermione pursed her lips tightly. "Yes." She went to pour herself another glass when Draco's hand fell over hers. She looked up at him. He eased the firewhiskey bottle out of her grip and led her back to the couch where he sat her down gently. Draco on the other hand hadn't returned to his armchair, but rather he sat next to her on the couch's armrest.

"Are you mad at me?" She suddenly asked. Draco stared at her, her eyes still watery –ready and waiting to shower her face with fresh tears. Even as she looked at him a tear or two began to fall. Draco took his thumb and wiped them both away.

"No." He replied honestly. A sigh came next as he bit his tongue. "I'm mad at myself. I'd been an arse that night. That night and every night after that. You didn't know how I would've reacted. How truly… _happy_ I would've been."

Hermione eyes widened. "Happy? You would've been _happy?_ "

Draco grinned. More tears had slid down her face and he was using two thumbs now to wipe them away. "Of course. You were pregnant, Hermione. With _our_ kid. A kid that _we_ made. I would've been thrilled."

Hermione frowned. "But you'd said-"

"I know." Draco interrupted, his left hand still battling her tears, while his right hand had gravitated to hers. "And I shouldn't have said it the way that I had. Any of it. You just kept pushing the issue and I got angry..." He sighed. "With us being who we were, our life together wasn't easy. I just didn't want that for our kid. That's all. Obviously what ended up coming out of my mouth didn't sound even remotely as sensitive."

"No, it didn't." Hermione chuckled. Draco followed suit and the both of them continued to sit there, nervous laughter escaping them as he gently held her hand. Hermione relished in the feeling. It was easy to forget that Draco had a sweet side to him. A caring side. She always knew that it was there because he showed it in his own way. But when he did simple things like holding her hand? It made him real –more than just a dream.

Their serenity was disrupted when an owl came rapping on the window. Draco politely excused himself so that he could let the bird in. At recognizing the handwriting, he immediately opened it and began to read the letter that had come for him.

"Ah, your mother's forgiven me!"

Hermione cocked a brow as Draco walked over, his nose still stuck in the letter he'd just received. Upon further inspection, his name was indeed scrawled in her mother's handwriting. She smiled.

"Forgiven you for what, exactly?"

"Forcing you into marriage counseling sessions." He laughed, more so at the letter than at what he'd said. He headed over to his desk and began writing on the back of the parchment. "I had written her that night when you'd said it was okay. Got a response back two or three days later. It was a horrifically _scathing_ letter; so much so that I nearly sat myself in a corner like I was being punished."

Yes, her mother was quite proficient at making a person feel terrible through a letter. Hermione continued to smile to herself and stared at her hands. She heard the flapping of wings some seconds later and then the closing of the window. The bird had proved to be a pleasant distraction, but now that it was gone, she was back to entertaining her horrid thoughts and feelings.

"No more tears." Came Draco's voice. Hermione looked up, her lips poised to retort when she was startled by the tissue he was holding and the delicate movements he made across her face to capture any stray tears.

"Draco, I-"

"Shh," he hushed. Draco was on his knees before her, staring up at his wife and wiping away the last tear. He stayed there, waiting in case there were more. There weren't, and he shifted himself to sit beside her so that he could take her in his arms. He didn't say anything. Neither did she. Hermione merely rested her head against his chest and melted into him. Draco rested his head atop of hers, and he smiled to himself at the fact that she still used the same shampoo after all this time.

After what felt like an eternity, Hermione forced herself to pull away, saying that she should probably be getting home. Draco nodded and watched as she took a deep breath and stood. She didn't go anywhere though, and she faced him with an expectant expression.

"I've been crying for Merlin knows how long, so be honest. How do I look?"

Draco zeroed in on her face and took in her tired eyes that reminded him of how she looked when she read too much. Her full cheeks that reminded him of how she eagerly stuffed her face of her favorite sweets when she thought no one was looking. Her frazzled hair that reminded him of how she looked when she woke up in the morning. Her pouty lips that reminded him of what it was like to kiss her…

He sighed and forced a smile. "Perfect,"

* * *

Seeing as last week's session had ended early due to Hermione's abrupt leaving, Dr. Milligan had called her to first find out how she was doing. After she assured him that she was fine, he went on to say that next week would be single sessions for her and Draco. "I've extended your usual one hour session to two." He had explained. "One of you would come for the first hour, and then the other would come for the second."

Hermione had relayed this information to Draco via a letter, and now, here on the last Tuesday that February had to offer, she was walking into Dr. Milligan's office, alone, for the first time. Needless to say, she felt a bit awkward being there without Draco.

"Are you okay, Hermione?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine."

Hermione smiled for good measure, but everything on the inside of her was upside down and inside out. "So, how is today's session supposed to go?"

"Well, I'd like to talk about what happened _after_ your divorce. More specifically how you felt when it was over."

"Really? And you're…going to ask Draco the same question?"

Dr. Milligan nodded. "I could have easily asked this with the two of you together, but questions such as these tend to be quite personal. I've found the best results come when neither party is in the presence of the other."

"I see. Well, I guess that makes sense."

"Good. So, let's get started then. Tell me, how did you feel after your divorce? Let's say...the first one to two months afterwards."

"Wow, the first one to two months?" Hermione laughed nervously as she rubbed her left arm up and down. "They...they weren't very good, Dr. Milligan. I was an absolute wreck. There's no way to put it other than that. I'm ashamed now to say that I drank. A lot. I rarely left the house unless it was to buy more wine. I don't recall eating anything and so my weight dropped drastically. Not to mention my heart was..." Hermione paused, stared at her muggle counselor and cleared her throat. "In pieces."

"Sounds like to me the pain without him was worse than being with him."

"You could say that."

"If that's the case, why didn't you go back to him? Clearly you were miserable."

"I do believe Draco has mentioned how stubborn I was?" Hermione asked with a grin. "How stubborn I _am_ , I should say. That time was awful yes, I do admit, but at the time it was just an obstacle I had to go through. 'When the pain is gone, it'll be better.' That's what I kept telling myself."

"Were you right?"

 _'He was a prick, Hermione.'_ Ron's words rang in her ears as a distant memory. _'Always has been. I'm just glad that you see that now.'_

"With the help of my friends the pain did go away, yes."

"But was it better?"

Hermione frowned. Was it really? It was only now that she realized she'd never really worked through any of her pain. She'd had Ron telling her the same old derogatory remarks about her husband, but instead of defending him, she'd internalized them. Her pain had turned into anger and it had made it very easy to dismiss Draco after that. Far too easy.

"Hermione?"

Hermione snapped out of her reverie. "Sorry. And to answer your question, no, it wasn't better."

"Mhmm, mhmm," Dr. Milligan nodded. "When would you say that your life started to get normal?"

"Um, I guess towards the end of that year, near Christmas. It's a bit hard to be morbid with holiday festivities being thrown at you left and right."

"I definitely agree. Now, in general terms, how would you describe the years after that Christmas and before you found out that you and Draco were still married? Did you think of him at all? Did you miss him?"

"Honestly?" Hermione bit on her bottom lip. "I didn't. As my husband said very early on in our sessions, I was distracted by a redhead. Besides, I didn't want to think about him. If I did, I knew that I'd miss him. Then I'd remember what happened. What we talked about in last week's session. Dr. Milligan, I didn't want to hurt anymore." She took a deep breath to fight off tears, clearly remembering Draco's doting from last week, and smiled inwardly. "It was just easier to forget."

"I understand. After what happened, I can see why you would want to do that. But how about now? You've been having sessions with Draco for quite some time. How are your feelings towards him now?"

Hermione knew this question was coming. And it was only because Draco wasn't here that she allowed herself to say what had been brewing in her heart –and mean it.

"I'm still in love with him." She said with an accelerated heartbeat. "Draco is…an utter arse. He's stubborn, possessive, and downright whiny when he wants to be. But he's also sweet and caring, and…he loves me. He's never stopped. I can't help but wonder what would've happened if we had come to see someone like you sooner. It could've helped. We could've been together instead of wasting all of this time apart."

"Well, you know, Hermione," Dr. Milligan said slowly. "If this is how you feel, there's no time like the present."

Hermione instinctively looked down to her hands. Her engagement ring was on her right hand as it always was whenever she came to Dr. Milligan's office. She ran her fingers over it, lost in her own little world.

* * *

At the next session Hermione got there shortly after Draco did. They smiled at each other as she sat down and Dr. Milligan watched the two. The tension was gone, that was for sure. Instead the air that was replaced between them was one of…understanding. If he didn't say so himself, it was almost as though they had come to terms with something, but he just wasn't sure what.

"I almost missed having the two of you together in one room." Dr. Milligan grinned. "Somehow a session without at least one argument from you just seems so…wrong."

Draco smirked and looked at Hermione. "Well, look at that. I think he's the only person we know who likes it when we fight."

Hermione laughed. "Not counting yourself then, are you?"

"Are _you_ counting yourself?"

"Absolutely,"

"Alright then." Draco nodded. "Fine, he's the third."

 _They certainly are something…_ Dr. Milligan thought to himself as he brought out two devices and placed them on the coffee table in front of him. As Hermione spied what they were, her joyful disposition –one she hadn't properly had in weeks –suddenly disappeared as she looked at their counselor with a questioning expression.

"Dr. Milligan…are those…?"

"Recorders? Yes."

A lump formed in Hermione's throat, chest, and stomach all at once. Draco, on the other hand, was staring between his wife and Dr. Milligan curiously.

"Last week the both of you had your own single sessions, but that doesn't mean that neither of you will hear what the other had to say."

Draco's face drained. For the first time since these sessions started, he looked _immensely_ uncomfortable. Dr. Milligan knew that neither wanted to divulge what had been said, but this was still a _couple's_ counseling session. Doing this separately only made it easier and less restricted. And so, he gave Hermione Draco's recorded session and Draco Hermione's recorded session. Each held the recorders tightly in their hands, refusing to bring their gazes to one another.

"Hermione, you're welcome to stay here and listen. Draco, you can use the side room to your left. Press the green button when you're ready. I'll be out in the hall. You can retrieve me when you're both finished."

Dr. Milligan left the room. Silence ensued and both Hermione and Draco sat where they were for countless minutes before Draco finally got up and went into the room that had been designated for his use. Hermione heard the door shut and the soft click of it locking. She stared at the recorder in her hand and swallowed deeply before finally pressing the green button.

" _How did you feel after your divorce? Let's narrow it down to the first one to two months after it."_

"… _I realized hell was real." Draco answered after a long hesitance. "I hardly slept. I ate nothing. I became a_ _ **huge**_ _fan of liquor. That and my heart was stabbing at me every chance it got."_

" _Sounds awful. If that was the case, why didn't you try to talk to Hermione? Maybe she was feeling the same way."_

 _Draco laughed sadly. "Oh, I doubt that very much. She downright hated me there at the end. Now that I know the reason why… I'm positive she was happy to be shot of me."_

" _What if she had come back?" Dr. Milligan probed. "What would you have done if she_ _ **was**_ _feeling the same?"_

 _Silence._

" _I would've never let go."_

" _And now?"_

" _Now what?"_

" _Well, the both of you are here now, doing these counseling sessions. How do you feel now that you've been talking through some of your problems?"_

"… _I want her back."_

" _And is it something that you'll pursue? You both came here with the intention to see if some time apart worked out in your favor. What are your thoughts on the matter now?"_

" _It's complicated. It's complicated because…because we lied." Draco sighed. "You're a good bloke, Dr. Milligan, so you should know the truth. Weasley, Hermione's_ _ **ex**_ _? Well, he's not her ex. He's her fiancé. The only reason we came here is because I made her. I thought she could do better than him and made her come to these sessions in an effort to make her see that whatever she felt for him was no match to what we had._

' _As far as I can tell, it's working. Or at least I hope it is. But…it's more than that now. So what if she doesn't end up marrying Weasley? What if we don't get back together? What if she starts dating someone else?_ _ **Marrying**_ _that someone else?_

' _Dr. Milligan, I… I can't live out the rest of my life with her married to someone who isn't me. I don't care who it is. It just...it can't_ _ **not**_ _be me."_

* * *

Draco opened the door just as his recording had ended. Hermione looked up at him, her chest gently heaving, his face completely pale. Neither said a word. She continued to sit where she was while he stood in the doorway with the recorder in his hand. Eventually Hermione got up to let Dr. Milligan know that they were done. When he entered, their faces were just as he imagined they would be. He coughed once before moving to sit in his chair and cupped his hands over his lap.

"We won't discuss what you heard or what you said." He told them. "That's for you and for you _alone_ to discuss if you so choose. As I had told Draco, this would be the last session that I had scheduled for you. If the two of you decide on more, then I'll be happy to oblige. If not, well, it was a pleasure to have met and counselled you."

"Likewise," both Hermione and Draco voiced. They each in turn shook Dr. Milligan's hand. After that they left. They walked in silence towards the elevator and stood in front of it as such. Once it finally arrived they headed inside robotically, dimly aware of their surroundings.

"We made a huge mistake." Draco said as he stared at the closed elevator doors. Hermione stood beside him, staring ahead just as he. She felt so numb that she couldn't place where her body was. Was she standing? Was she sitting? Was she leaning against the elevator walls? Was she lying flat on the ground?

"I know." She said as the elevator slowed to a stop. It was wide enough for both of them to walk through at the same time and they left the building entirely. They walked in silence just as before. They walked slowly. They both felt deaf and blind as they traversed the streets, not even sure when they'd gotten to the apparation spot.

"Are you still going through with it?"

"Yes,"

"Why?"

"Because your test failed." Hermione faced Draco for the first time since leaving Dr. Milligan's office. "This was all for the purposes of seeing if my relationship could compare with what we had. It doesn't. I know that. I'd be an idiot to think otherwise. But who says that's a _bad_ thing? Ron and I have no buttons that can be pushed hard enough to send us off a cliff. We're not doomed. We're...we're stable."

"You still love me."

It wasn't a question. Hermione's head drooped, but Draco raised it back up with a gentle touch of the curve of his finger. "You still love me. Hermione, you're still _in love_ with your husband."

Hermione forced her gaze away. "I –I have to go. There's a –a wedding party dinner happening tonight. We're having one every week, you know. Right up until the-"

Hermione's words were cut off by Draco's lips. It'd been years since she felt the passion that he'd always kissed her with, and all at once the blissful memories of their marriage came flooding back. The day they got married. Walking along, hand-in-hand, through the oncoming waves of St. Kitt's beaches for their honeymoon. Waking up in the mornings with his tender eyes staring at her and a smile on his face. Sleeping with his arms curled around her every night –the warmth of his breath tickling the back of her neck. The hugs. The caresses. The smiles. The laughs. The...everything.

It was only when Draco pulled away that she realized tears had slid down her cheeks. Draco's own eyes had water in them, but she knew he'd never let them fall.

"Please… Don't marry him."

Hermione couldn't speak. She was afraid of what she'd say and knew it was best not to say anything at all. Instead she shook Draco off of her and disapparated on the spot. She landed in the middle of the apartment she shared with Ron and immediately broke down. She sunk to her knees and held her face in her hands, letting out all the tears, frustration, and regret that she'd been building up over the past few months and let it flow.

She hadn't known she wasn't alone in the apartment. Ron was there, and he'd heard her when she apparated in and he heard her crying her heart out with such a ferocity that it scared him.

"Hermione," he called her name. He dropped to his knees and held her by the shoulders. "Hermione, come on now, look at me. Hermione?"

She couldn't look at him. Her heart was breaking in a million pieces and she couldn't bear to look at him. But she had to say something, didn't she? She couldn't _not_ say something to the man she had ultimately betrayed.

"Ron, we...we have to talk." Hermione blurted out. She had removed her hands from her face, but her gaze was towards the floor and that's where she'd intended on keeping it as they spoke.

"Okay, alright. That's fine, Hermione. What about?"

"The divorce papers still aren't signed. He isn't going to sign them." Hermione rushed out. Ron stopped abruptly in the middle of rubbing her back. He stared at her in confusion, alarm, and a whole host of other emotions she couldn't place.

"What do you mean? Hermione, you said that he'd sign them by today!"

"I know! I know! Ron, I'm sorry, but it isn't going to happen."

Ron tensed up. The sole emotion on face now was anger and he looked like he was ready to pummel someone.

"Leave it to Malfoy to ruin everything." He fumed. "I'll murder him. Don't worry, Hermione. I'll handle it myself. I'll-"

"No, wait!" She shouted, pulling him closer as she felt him trying to pull them up from the ground. "There's more. Draco and I...we've been seeing a marriage counselor."

"What? Why?"

"It was Draco's condition in exchange for signing the divorce papers." Hermione sniffled as more tears came. "He didn't want me to marry you. He was trying to make me realize that what you and I have couldn't measure up to we had."

"The bloody git! I'll throttle-"

"Ron,"

He looked at her. Hermione was a wreck. Her youthful face was barely recognizable behind her red, swollen eyes, puffy cheeks, and extremely flushed skin. Ron tried to place a comforting hand on her cheek, but he frowned when she recoiled. His heart started hammering in his chest.

"Hermione?"

"I'm so sorry." She said again, this time softer. "Ron, I can't marry you."

The world around Hermione shattered at the look on Ron's face. It was the definition of pain.

"You don't mean that."

"I wish I didn't. But I can't do this when Draco-"

"Don't you dare say his name to me." Ron snapped angrily. "Don't. You tell me how _you_ feel, Hermione, not what that bastard's put in your head."

Hermione hiccupped. She was shaking violently now, her body completely collapsing beneath her. She felt ill. The room was dissolving around her. Even Ron was starting to take on a blurry disposition.

She swallowed, feeling as though she would vomit at any moment. "I'm still in love with him, Ron. And I can't marry you in any good conscience when I am."

The silence that met her was palpable. It was dark and it was choking. And Merlin, had she stopped breathing? Ron's words were far, low, and practically inaudible. What did he say? Was he saying anything at all or had she imagined it?

All she knew was that a loud crack had resounded in the air. She was alone now. She knew that. She was also fainting. The weight of her emotions had finally broken her down and the coarse carpet had never felt so comfortable.

* * *

 **Author's note:** I don't think I have to say very much for this chapter. It was…a barrel of emotions, I must say.

On a side note. THANK YOU for pushing me past 100 reviews and a near 200 follows. I'm absolutely ecstatic. As for this story, we've hit the climax of it which means that this fanfic that I love so much will be ending quite soon. Chapter 14 as a matter of fact. Just wanted to prepare you!

-WP


	13. Revelations

Draco felt numb from the inside out. How could Hermione still want to marry Weasley? Especially after everything she'd said in her session with Dr. Milligan? His heart couldn't take it. It was beating so erratically and paining so horribly that he thought he might _really_ be having a heart attack. That would be a good one, wouldn't it? To literally die from a broken heart. Draco Malfoy, the cruel, cold, and unfeeling Slytherin. It was almost poetic.

He sighed as he sat on the sofa he and Hermione had shared last and contemplated going to St. Mungo's when he heard the doorbell. Draco's ears perked up. What if it was her? What if she had changed her mind? Draco sat up and kept his eyes on the open door. He waited several agonizing seconds until he heard the soft steps of his house elf and that of, strangely, _much_ heavier steps.

"You," Ron snarled as he walked into the room. Draco stared in absolute surprise and then watched as he stormed over, ready to punch him. Draco, however, wasn't phased. The moment Ron's fist got close enough Draco grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back. A quick kick to the back of his knees brought him down to the ground, but Draco still hadn't let him go.

"Stand down, Weasley. You don't want to hurt yourself."

"Let me go!"

"No." Draco said sternly. "You just tried to come after me. I'm not letting go until you calm down."

"What's the matter, Malfoy?" Ron sneered. "Afraid I'll damage your pretty face?"

"Hardly. I just don't want to do anything to make Hermione hate me. Do you want her to hate you for attacking me?"

Ron paused. He swallowed deeply, and once Draco knew that the redhead had realized he was right, he finally let him go. Ron rose to his feet, his anger still clearly evident.

"How dare you talk about Hermione to me. _Especially_ after what you've done."

"How dare I?" Draco scoffed. "How dare _you_ when you had a hand in breaking Hermione and me up!"

"You didn't deserve her!"

"And you do?! You came into _my_ house, spoke to _my_ wife about me, and took her away so you could have her for yourself." Draco chuckled and stared at Ron with cold eyes. "You always called me a snake, but you're the most poisonous one I ever came across."

Ron stared at him with a blank expression. He balled his fists, seeming as though he wanted to hit him again, but refrained. Draco watched him carefully, ready to take him down if need be, but he didn't have to. Ron sucked his teeth.

"Some poison," he brooded. "She still chose you anyway."

Draco's heart stopped. "What?"

Ron didn't explain further. He merely walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

When Hermione woke up she was confused. She hadn't a single clue why or how she had ended up on the living room floor. Her body felt stiff and weak. Her face and lips felt dry, and when she brought her hand up to her cheek she found it doused in dried tears.

Everything came to her right in that instant and Hermione groaned as she sat up. She called off the wedding. _She called off the wedding!_ She sat there on the floor, staring out into the dark and went over the fact that she had told Ron that she couldn't marry him. That she was still in love with Draco. She couldn't even imagine what he was feeling right now. Quite frankly, she didn't want to. She already had enough emotions trampling in and out of her heart. She didn't need the added ones of another. Although, she did know that she had to face him eventually, not to mention Harry and the entire Weasley family. It made her stomach churn wildly at the thought of it, but first, one step at a time.

Hermione finally removed herself from the floor. She stood in the middle of it for countless minutes before letting her eyes settle on her hands. She noticed that her engagement ring was on her right, and she wondered how many times she'd messed up by not putting it back where it was supposed to go. Did Ron even notice? With a frown, she slowly slipped it off and placed it on the coffee table. Just after that she used a Speed Owl to ask Draco for Floo access from her apartment. He granted it within minutes, and she gathered her wits before stepping into the fireplace and stepped out into Draco's study. He was standing in front of it, waiting for her. He looked almost as haggard as she did.

"I called off the wedding."

Draco's eyes widened. He knew what Ron had told him, but he still hadn't fully believed it. "Y-you called it off?"

She nodded while he became breathless. With the way she'd left, he'd thought… No, he needed confirmation, and so Draco searched her hands with his eyes for her engagement ring. It was gone.

"I couldn't do it. Not…not while I still loved you."

Draco nodded, his body feeling weak all over. "What happens now then?"

"Something you're not going to like." Hermione replied as she played with the hems of her sleeves. She could practically feel Draco's heart stop, drop, and shrivel. Or maybe that was just her own? "We're in such a complicated situation. And although I really want to, it's not like we can just pick up where we left off."

She looked like a set of torment-worthy words were about to tumble out of her mouth. Draco flinched when they did. "I still want you to sign the divorce papers."

" _Why?_ Hermione, you-"

"It wouldn't be fair to Ron. I can't do this to him."

"Fair to…?" Draco went from heartbroken and confused to utterly outraged. "Weasley has _nothing_ to do with this."

"He has _everything_ to do with this. For Merlin's sake, Draco, I was with him for four years! The last of which we planned a wedding that I _walked out of_. He's a mess and _I_ did that to him." Hermione could feel tears in her eyes. Images of Ron's face were burned into her memory like a terrible, endless nightmare. She'd basically Avada'd his heart.

"To be with you _right after_ what I've just done would kill him." She continued. "I owe it to him not to do that."

"So that's it?" Draco questioned. "You're going to sacrifice yourself, sacrifice _us_ , just to keep Weasley from jumping off a cliff?"

Hermione winced at the imagery, wondering if he really would. "I may have come to realize that I don't love Ron the way that love you, but even if he wasn't a factor in this… Draco, a few counseling sessions isn't going to fix what drove us apart in the first place."

"I never said that they would." He argued. "I _never_ said that they would. Hell, I doubt they ever could. Only we can do that. I want us to try."

Hermione bit her lower lip, her head slowly shaking from right to left. "But Ron-"

"SCREW WEASLEY!" Draco shouted at the top of his lungs. His loud bellow nearly knocked the wind out of Hermione as she staggered back from him and watched as his chest heaved in rage. "All you're talking about is how _our_ being together will hurt _him_! How _he's_ going to feel! Damn it, Hermione! We had a counseling session about this! How can you not see it? How can you deny that _he's_ part the reason _we're_ not together anymore?!"

"Draco-"

"No!" He yelled again. "Don't do that. Don't you _dare_ do that! Weasley, _effing_ Weasley has always been there whispering into your ear! You noticed the flaws within our marriage, yes, but you never cared about them until bloody Weasley prodded the hell out of them! I'm supposed to feel _sorry_ that his love for you never matched mine? I'm supposed to have pity? I'm supposed to restrain myself from snogging the hell out of you because of _him?_ Not bloody likely, Hermione. _He_ was the wedge between us, and I'm damn happy, _thrilled_ , ELATED, to have done the same."

Hermione stared at him wide-eyed. It was her turn now. Her turn to grow red in the face and succumb to the boiling fury under her skin that had spiked to epic proportions.

"So that's what this was about?" She said, her voice even, firm, and all the force of a hurricane swirling in her eyes. "Your refusal to sign the divorce papers, the sessions, rekindling the romance… You did it all, not to make sure that I was making the right choice in a husband and that I'd be happy, but because you wanted to repay Ron for what you think he did to us?"

Draco froze. He'd realized his mistake and he realized it much too late. His anger abated as hers flourished and he would do _anything_ to take back what he'd said.

"I would rather _die_ than stay married to you." Hermione said fiercely. Each word was like a knife to Draco –a slow stab and a subtle twist so that it stayed lodged beneath his flesh. "You are selfish and deceitful and you ruined _everything_. Not just Ron and me, but at any chance of us ever being together again."

Draco was confused. "But you said…? The divorce papers...?"

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID!" She yelled. "But the future isn't just tomorrow, Draco. Who knows what could've happened? Now was simply not the time. And after what you've just said? There will never be a time."

His heart ached. He watched her turn on her heel to leave, but he couldn't let her go. Not like this. "Hermione. Hermione, please-"

Draco raised a hand to his face over the place she'd just delivered an ear-shattering slap to. He'd tried to touch her, to grab her hand so she would stop walking away from him. Another mistake on his part, and his face was swelling up because of it.

"This is the last time I'm going to say it, Draco." Hermione said to him. "Sign the divorce papers."

* * *

Hermione didn't even leave Draco's house by Floo. She was so angry, so _furious_ that she had stormed out of the study, through the house, and slammed the front door ferociously. On the front step of the large home she cried. She pressed her back against the door and her shoulders shook as she sobbed and slid down to the ground. She didn't know how long she was sitting there for, but she did know that the sun had fully set and now she was surrounded by darkness and the glow of tiny floating lamps.

The faint light would make it easy for Draco to see that she was still there if by chance he came around to the front of the house. She doubted that he'd have a reason to, but Hermione didn't want to take the chance. She suddenly scrambled to her feet and walked off of the property beyond the wards so that she could disapparate. A moment later she was in front of her apartment door, too afraid to open it. What if Ron was there? What would he say? What would _she_ say? A plethora of unfavorable scenarios danced across her vision until she forced herself to open the door –consequences be damned.

The apartment appeared to be empty. Hermione was counting her blessings and decided to use this time wisely to pack up as much of her things as possible. She'd stay with her parents. For how long, she didn't know, but she knew that she couldn't stay here.

Hermione headed into the bedroom with a bag she had grabbed along the way from the hall's closet. It slipped from her hand, however, when she saw a small roll of parchment sitting on her bed and a familiar owl flying out of the open window. With a hard gulp she walked over to it and tentatively unrolled it.

 _I signed them. They should be processed by tomorrow._

 _Draco_

Hermione's hand flew to her chest as she dropped the letter. She took deep breaths to settle the harsh skips it made and the pain that emanated from it and across her chest. More tears began to flow down her face and she wondered just how much more her eyes could produce before completely drying up.

"Hermione?"

The brunette looked up to the holder of a voice she hadn't been expecting. "G-Ginny?"

Ginny didn't say anything else. She walked over to Hermione and gently guided the grief-stricken witch to the living room. She sat her down, but didn't sit down herself. The redhead merely stood in front of her, her hands clasped tensely, and waiting for her friend's crying to subside enough for them to talk.

"Is it true that you called off the wedding?"

Hermione stifled her sniffle and merely nodded.

"Is it true that you're still married to Malfoy?"

Another nod.

"…Do you still love him?"

Hermione made a move to nod, but then she slowly shook her head. "I love Ron." She could see Ginny beginning to smile a little, but it wouldn't last for long. "I love him, I do. But I'm _in love_ with Draco."

Ginny's face crashed. It was the prime picture of an emotional collision. Although, however upset the redheaded woman was, Hermione couldn't have fathomed what she would say next.

"We're so disappointed in you. You know how much this meant to everyone! For you two to be together! And you just…threw it away for Malfoy? For Malfoy! We were so happy and now we're…we're so hurt, Hermione."

Despite how remorseful she had just been, Hermione had temporarily come out of her inner scolding. She stared at the witch in front of her in utter disbelief.

"You've got some nerve." Hermione said angrily. "I didn't know that you and your family's happiness depended so heavily on Ron and I being together."

Ginny blinked. "You're twisting what I said."

"No, I'm not. You may not have said it exactly as I have, but that's _exactly_ what you've just said." Hermione pursed her lips tightly and felt her tears dry up both on her cheeks and in her eyes. "Don't make this out to be about you, or Harry, or anyone else. This is about _Ron_. So, if you're going to stand there, looking proud, hands on your hips, and berating me on my actions, it'd damn well better be for him. If it's just for yourself then leave me alone and go."

Silence fell in the room. Hermione stopped looking at Ginny and instead stared numbly at the floor in front of her. It was quiet for a long time -so much so that she thought that her friend was gone. After a near ten minutes the other side of the couch sunk in and Ginny's voice broke the air.

"You know, you're the only person I know who can make someone doing the scolding feel so terrible about themselves."

Hermione felt a smile wanting to push through, but her outer shell was too hard, too worn, and too withered to let that happen. It was quiet in the room again.

"What happened, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed as she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "I want to say that it was all Draco's fault, but it wasn't…not really." She let her hands drop and rubbed them over her thighs anxiously. "I found out our divorce had never finalized when I went to pick up the marriage license. I went to see Draco to get him to sign the divorce papers and finally get it done, but he was…so _stubborn_. He said that he wouldn't sign them if Ron was my choice in husband. He said that…he wasn't good enough for me."

Ginny's eyes bulged. "And you listened to him?!"

"Merlin, no, of course not! I was adamant on marrying Ron and fought Draco like hell on the matter."

Ginny frowned and began playing with her sleeves. "So, what happened then?"

"Like I said, he was stubborn. Draco was determined to make me realize that marrying Ron wasn't right. He made us go to marriage counseling sessions and all to test if my relationship with Ron could compete with our marriage."

"What? Hermione, what on earth were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'd do anything to get him to sign those bloody papers." Hermione sighed. "But his tactics worked. I didn't intend for them to. I didn't think they would. But over time I realized that Ron's love for me wasn't the same. It wasn't better, it wasn't worse, it just… It wasn't the same. I didn't want to marry Ron with doubts and I sure had a lot of them."

"C-can I ask what your doubts were?" Ginny tentatively asked. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but you and Ron just seemed so…happy. How can your love for someone just go away?"

"It doesn't, and that's the problem." Hermione frowned. "Draco and I…we were like a speeding train and all of a sudden it just stopped. No warning. No slowing down. Just an abrupt halt. I see that now, but I certainly didn't want to see it then. And then Ron he…he picked me back up. You remember what I was like after my divorce."

"How can I forget?" She chuckled some. "I was scared for you. We all were."

"And no offense to the rest of you, but Ron was the best support I could've ever asked for. He helped me to forget about Draco." Hermione frowned further at the implications of that. "Ron was – _is_ everything Draco isn't. When we fight it isn't volatile. He isn't the least bit snarky and actually _likes_ my friends, considering we have the same ones. We're…stable together."

Ginny arched her brow. "So you're opting for _in_ stability over stability?"

Hermione looked at her and swallowed. "I'm opting for the love of my life."

"But Hermione,-"

"Love isn't perfect, Ginny." Hermione interrupted. "Love isn't logical either. I loved Ron. I still do. But after these sessions...everything I've ever felt for Draco isn't buried anymore. It's alive. It's real. And it's the strongest thing I've ever felt."

"…Stronger than Ron too?"

"Than Ron too,"

Ginny shifted uneasily in her seat. "Will you…be with Malfoy now?"

Hermione was the one fidgeting in her seat now as she held herself protectively. "He signed the papers."

"You're kidding. He spent all this time trying to break you and Ron up, succeeded, and then _signs_ them?"

"I told him to. I turned down being with him because it would've been the final nail in Ron's coffin. I've hurt him so much already, and I just didn't want to do it anymore."

"So, let me get this straight. After all of this has happened, Ron's unhappy, you're unhappy, and yes, my family and our friends are unhappy, and Malfoy's unhappy? Hermione, _someone_ out of this horrible mess needs to happy."

Hermione stared at Ginny with wide, confused eyes. "What are you saying, Ginny?"

Ginny sighed, obviously not wanting to say this, but pushing through anyway. "I'm saying… I'm saying that I don't want my brother's heart to be broken for nothing."

* * *

Dr. Milligan didn't have his first client until noon, but had decided to come into the office early. It was a good way to start the day in his opinion. Get in by eight, have a second cup of a tea, maybe a pastry, go over client notes, jot down a few more, and read the newspaper if there was some spare time. His office was, as his wife liked to call it, his sanctuary. It was a calm place for him to be despite the negative energy that his clients oftentimes left behind.

He took a deep, contented breath and pulled out the croissant that his wife had baked that morning. Before he could take a bite out of it, there was a knock on his door. _Who could be coming to see me so early?_ Dr. Milligan furrowed his brow and went to answer it.

"Draco? What are you doing here?"

Draco gulped. He tried his best not to look or sound as defeated as he actually was. So he shrugged, chuckled nervously, and rested his hands on the edge of his pants pockets.

"I..." Draco hesitated. His eyes caught sight of the couch, instantly seeing Hermione sitting there, even going so far as to smell her delicious scent. He choked back a sob.

"Draco?"

He finally tore his water-filled eyes away from the couch and looked up at Dr. Milligan. "I think I just lost my wife. For good this time."

Dr. Milligan watched as his former client broke down right in front of him. He wasted no time in rushing over and ushering him to the couch. He then went to one of his shelves and poured out a clear liquid from a bottle into a teacup, presenting it to Draco soon after.

"Here, drink this."

Draco stared down at the cup in his hands and felt even more pathetic when a teardrop fell into it. He scowled and sniffled as he brought the cup to his lips. But before he could even take a sip, the smell of it hit his nose, and his eyes went wide as he looked up at Dr. Milligan.

"A Calming Potion? You're a muggleborn?"

"Squib, actually."

Draco looked back down at the cup and then to Dr. Milligan again. "A squib? But then how-?"

"Wife's a witch." He said simply. He then walked over to an electric kettle he kept on a small table near the back window and turned it on. Draco continued to sit there in awe as the Calming Potion remained untouched in his hands.

"So you knew who Hermione and I were?"

Dr. Milligan nodded.

"So, that question about which school we went to during our first session… When you asked about how I decorated a Christmas tree, when you talked about me cursing people into oblivion… You were just messing with us?"

Another nod. He grinned too.

"It's not every day I get to toy with my clients. The fact that it was you two I just couldn't resist."

"Bloody squibs," Draco grumbled. "Why didn't you say anything then after you were done _toying_ with us?"

"I figured you didn't want anyone to know. Why else would you go to a 'muggle' marriage counselor?"

He had a point.

"I'll tell you though, I've been dying to tell my wife who my clients were. But you know, client confidentiality and all that." Dr. Milligan rolled his eyes. The water was boiling now and he made his tea in the back. Draco watched him, not only in disbelief at the turn of events, but also at Dr. Milligan who had went into his desk drawer and pulled out an already opened bottle of firewhiskey.

Draco cocked a brow. "I thought you were making tea?"

Dr. Milligan nodded. "I am. Tea with a touch of firewhiskey." He added with a smile. "The wife thinks it's disgusting, but I say it's a better wake-me-up than tea or coffee."

"It's a better tension-killer than a Calming Potion too."

Dr. Milligan chuckled, immediately getting the point, and walked over to Draco with a new teacup but filled with firewhiskey instead.

"What happened with Hermione, Draco?"

Draco frowned. "Will you charge me if I tell you?"

"I don't have firewhiskey with my clients, so no, I won't charge you."

Draco sighed and drank a large gulp of his firewhiskey down while Dr. Milligan sipped his. "I really don't want to go into specifics, but let's just say that I said something I can never take back and that Hermione will never forgive me."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Hmm," Dr. Milligan drank more of his tea before setting it down. He reached over for the firewhiskey and poured more in, doing the same for Draco although he hadn't asked. "How many times in your life have you called Hermione a mudblood?"

Draco flinched. "What?"

"Just answer the question."

"...More times than I care to admit."

"And how many times have you bullied her? Made her cry? Been mean to her friends?"

Draco sneered. "You're a lousy person to talk to when you drink."

Dr. Milligan smiled. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Draco. I'm trying to make a point."

"That I'm a terrible person?"

"That despite all of that she still married you."

Draco blinked. "We still got divorced."

"She agreed to have these sessions with you."

"Only so she could marry Weasley."

Dr. Milligan shrugged. "Perhaps that was a factor, but certainly not the only or the strongest one."

Draco furrowed his brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Come now, surely you don't think that your signature was the thing in her way from getting divorced, do you?"

"Come again?"

Dr. Milligan was smiling broadly by now and finished the rest of his wake-me-up. "I couldn't have a wizard marriage ceremony of my own, but I know how they work. You and Hermione got physically divorced but not legally. Do you really think there weren't federal-subpoenaed ways to force you to sign? Or that she couldn't file alone? Technically speaking, when you unlinked your hearts that was already consent on your part. She didn't need you. Not one bit."

Draco's heart was beating rapidly. He stood slowly, running his shaking hands through his hair and beginning to pace. "So, you're saying-"

"I'm saying that she willingly played along with your game. Think about what you admitted she said when you told her about the purpose of these sessions. It was to test her relationship with Ron. She didn't have to do that. You essentially dared her, and she took it."

Draco had stopped pacing. He looked into the cheerful face of Dr. Milligan who walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to give you one last piece of advice. Get your stubborn arse out of here and fix what you did."

Draco's face fell. "The divorce papers..."

"What?"

"I signed the bloody divorce papers!"

Draco flew out of the room faster than Dr. Milligan could blink. As he stared at where his former client had been and the hall he had run down all he could do was laugh.

"Idiot."

* * *

 **Author's note:** How about we not talk about Draco and Hermione for once and focus on the fact that Dr. Milligan is a squib! Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to reveal that every time one of you mentioned him as a muggle. Such relief…

But really, back to Draco and Hermione… A lot of anger and a lot of sadness. Draco's rant at the beginning was the third hardest scene I had to write. I really wanted you to feel how furious he was and, of course, hurt. I hope that that came across well. And his comment to Ron about a snake? Probably my most favorite line I've written in this story.

And this story made it to 200 follows! Can't believe it! Thank you! :D

A lovely shout-out to **Chester99** and **hoshiakari7** for both thinking that Ron went to Draco after he left Hermione. I had no intentions of having that in the story, but after you both mentioned it, it was too good of a thing _not_ to include. So, credit to where credit is due since it wasn't my idea :). Also, another shout-out to **BrilliantLady** for making an awesome point that there should be some scene where you see the "crack" and Hermione/Ron's relationship because it makes it hard to root for Draco/Hermione. That's what the small conversation between Ginny and Hermione was for when Ginny asked what were Hermione's doubts (which was also very recently added, so credit to you!). As you can see, Hermione was unable to pinpoint an actual thing that was wrong, and I think it highlights a point that love is, well, it's not logical. And for those of you who have been in love, you've got to admit that your first love is always the hardest to get over (if you ever do).

-WP


	14. Whole

That night Hermione and Ginny talked. About everything. They even talked about her miscarriage. Surprisingly, Ginny had been a lot more understanding than could have been anticipated. It was partly because of her, and mostly because she couldn't take the _literal_ heartache, that she woke up early, dressed, and headed to the Marriage Registration Department just ten minutes after it had opened.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger and I really need your help in tracking down a set of divorce papers for my husband and I." Hermione addressed one of the tellers. "There's um…an issue with them that I've suddenly remembered."

The teller stared at her oddly a bit, but soon fought past it. "Sure, when did you submit them?"

"Oh, I didn't do it. My husband did."

"I see. Well, in that case he's going have to be here too since he was the one to actually bring them in."

Hermione frowned. "Are you serious? But my name is on them just as much as his. Can't you just-"

"What do you mean you can't _find_ them?" A male voice ricocheted off the walls. "If you don't get your arse back there and find those divorce papers I'll-!"

"Draco?"

Draco turned. He was just as surprised to see her there as she was to see him and his hand gravitated to his chest as his face contorted in pain. Hermione felt the same distress and closed the gap between them –not simply to get rid of it but to ask,

"What are you doing here?"

Draco gulped. "The same as you, I think. Hermione, I signed those divorce papers to make you happy, but I can't do it. And I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry for what I said. For what I've done. But I'm not sorry about the outcome. My actions and my reasoning for going into this were terrible. I know that. But those reasons aren't the same anymore. They haven't been for a long time. I know you're not going to marry Weasley anymore, but what about after? What if you change your mind? Or what if you find someone else? I stand by what I said in my session, Hermione. I can't let you love someone that isn't me."

Hermione's heart was beating wildly in her chest. Before she could say anything the door down the hall opened and out stepped Ms. Canterbury. Eyes wide, she pulled Draco along towards the woman who was taken aback at the running pair.

"Ms. Canterbury, our divorce papers were dropped off here and we need to get them back! We..." She looked at Draco and felt her chest ache. "We don't want a divorce. We need to get them back. Now."

"Well, when did you bring them in?" Ms. Canterbury asked, clearly flustered.

"I don't remember the exact time." Draco told her. "Late last night evening, it must've been. Before the department closed."

"If that's the case, then judging by the current time the papers are probably already being processed, if not processed already."

"Where?!" Hermione and Draco shouted. Ms. Canterbury began to stammer.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly tell you that! You can't go back there!"

Hermione groaned. "Please, Ms. Canterbury! You have to-!"

"But I-"

"Oh the hell with this!" Draco exclaimed, grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her pass the stuttering witch. They both ran. They ran through the door Ms. Canterbury had come through despite her frantic shouts behind them. There was nothing but offices where they were but Hermione spotted a corridor that led to where the desk workers were. Draco bolted for it, Hermione quickly in tow as his hand held onto hers tighter. Neither missed the gasps and calls for them to get out as they passed teller after teller, dodged desks and chairs, and pushed passed witches and wizards.

There was another door at the end and they headed for it. It was locked, but a quick flourishment of Hermione's wand blasted it open. They kept on running. They knew they were in the right place now because they could see the divorce process happening before their eyes. Rolls of parchment hovering in the air by a worker, a floating image of the couple in question above the roll, and a few flicks of a wand breaking the image in two.

"Draco, there it is!"

Draco turned to where she pointed and there it was. Their images floating over their divorce papers, an employee's wand ready to rip them apart.

"Don't even think about it!" Draco shouted as he flicked his own wand. The worker was knocked onto his back and slid on the ground. Draco redirected his wand at the divorce papers and gave it another flick. They burned away into nothing within seconds.

"What the hell..?" The worker, clearly disoriented, asked as he massaged his head.

"The Misses and I would like to stay married, thanks." Draco grinned, turning to Hermione who had her hands on her hips. "What?"

"Did you really have to toss him back like that?"

"Oh come on, I could've done much worse. Need I remind you that you very recently blasted a door to pieces?"

"But a door isn't a person! You could've hurt him! _What_?" She asked angrily at his growing smirk.

"Nagging me already? You really haven't missed a beat, have you?"

Hermione tried to stay mad at him, but she just couldn't do it. She just sighed and smiled, using her wand to help the man to his feet who had been still on the ground.

"Can we go home now?"

Hermione snapped her eyes to him. _Home_. She couldn't even begin to describe how uncertain that word made her feel. Could she do it? She wasn't ready to give up being the current Mrs. Malfoy (sans the Malfoy), but was she ready, could she _really_ just pick back up their marriage as though they hadn't been apart for four – _five_ years? More importantly, was she ready to stay in the home that was once theirs, now his, and now was, maybe, theirs again?

Hermione swallowed deeply, her throat feeling thick as she did so. However daunting her answer would be, she knew that the hardest obstacle to overcome had yet to present itself, and she dreaded it miserably.

"I have to see Ron."

Draco's eager, love-stricken face fell. His whole body had tensed at the mere mention of Ron, but she had to commend him. Judging by the way his neck vein pulsed, he was putting a great restraint on himself.

"Why?"

"The last time we were together I called off the wedding." Hermione said simply. "We left things so terribly between us. I can't leave it like that."

It was obvious Draco wanted to fight her on this, but instead he bit back his tongue. "Promise me you'll come back."

Hermione stepped closer to him and placed her hands on either side of his face. Draco melted into her comfort as she caressed his cheeks. "Wait for me by the fireplace. I'm coming back."

* * *

Draco kissed his wife before she disapparated. It had taken Hermione by surprise because she had turned to leave, but had been pulled back with his hand on her wrist. With his lips on hers, she knew what he was doing. It was more than just being happy that she was his again. It was his trademark possessiveness shining through, although there was no one there worth showing off for. And so, she determined that there was another reason for him doing it –to give her a reason to make sure she came back.

Once Hermione left, she went home to find it still empty. She didn't actually expect to find Ron there, but she had been hoping, _desperately_ , that she would. Now she was coming out of the fireplace at the Burrow, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

For one thing, it seemed like every Weasley was there. Whether right there on the living room sofa, coming into the room, walking into the kitchen, or coming down the stairs, there was a set of red hair and beneath it a face and on it a set of eyes with sadness, remorse, and anger in them. The only person who she thought could save her from the hateful stares was nowhere in sight. Hermione swallowed.

"Come on," Harry's voice whispered in her ear as he led her by the elbow away from the sea of Weasleys and up the stairs. Once they got to the landing, Hermione was finally able to breathe and she rested the back of her head against the wall.

"They all hate me."

"No, they don't."

"Are you kidding?" Hermione said exasperatedly. "Did you see the scene downstairs? Did you _really?_ "

"I did." Harry nodded. "And trust me, they're more hurt than anything else."

Hermione huffed. "About me breaking Ron's heart, or the fact that their dream of us isn't coming true?"

Harry rubbed the back of his head as he sighed. "A bit of both, I think."

"…And you? What are you feeling?"

Harry gave a low whistle as he glanced down the hall, presumably towards where Ron was. "Ginny told me what you two talked about last night. We're sorry about what's happened, but I think the two of us are the only ones who can remotely understand."

Hermione took a deep breath, thankful that at least she hadn't lost _everyone_ in her life. She looked down the hall where Harry had and swallowed. "Has he left his room at all?"

"Not once,"

"I need to talk to him."

"Hermione, I don't think-"

"Harry," She pleaded. "We need this. He needs to know; he needs to understand."

Harry frowned. "He'll never understand."

"Probably not, but I still need to try."

Harry bit the inside of his jaw before finally conceding. He led the way down the hall and hesitantly knocked. "Ron, mate… Hermione's here."

Ron didn't answer. Harry looked at Hermione, but she understood. She leaned against the wall and stared at the door in front of her. Harry didn't leave, however. He continued to stand where he was before finally coming out with it.

"Hermione," Harry said. She turned to him and she furrowed her brow at how uncomfortable he seemed to be. "I just wanted to say that I'm... I'm sorry about the... The..."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled as she hugged him. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

She began to pull away but Harry didn't. He had that look on his face like there was something more that he wanted to say. She squeezed his shoulders comfortingly.

"What is it?"

Harry sighed. "I know this is hardly the time nor the place but... I can't help but wonder why you never told us. I know how we were towards Malfoy. Maybe we were treating you badly and we hadn't realized. Did we? Were we such bad friends that you didn't want to-?"

"Don't you dare." Hermione stopped him. " No one knew about the baby, Harry. Draco didn't even know up until two weeks ago. I just... I just figured that no one had to. If no one knew, I wouldn't have people giving me pity and 'I'm sorry for your loss' stares. It made it easier to forget and to distance myself from the pain. Please know that my not telling you was in no way a reflection of our friendship. Okay?"

"Okay,"

She smiled at him before returning to her spot along the wall. Harry knew that she would stay there, no matter how long it took, until Ron opened the door. He had a feeling that she'd be there for quite some time, and he was right. Hermione stayed against the wall for a while. Then she paced. After pacing she was standing along the wall again. Harry was nice enough to bring her something to eat, but she was too nerve-wracked to eat anything. After it hit three in the afternoon, she finally caved and ate. Soon after she was pacing again. Eventually she sunk down to sit on her bottom and relished in the comfort of the floor and hugged her knees.

"You're not going to leave, are you?"

Ron's sudden voice nearly made Hermione jump out of her skin. She looked up and across from her at the very heartbroken and angry face of her ex-fiancé standing in the doorway. She sighed as she continued to hug her knees to her chest.

"Not until we talk, no."

Ron didn't say anything. His form soon disappeared from the doorway, but the door itself hadn't taken his place. Hermione took the open door as her cue and rose to her feet. She slowly made her way inside and closed the door after her. Once she was firmly in the bedroom did she manage to take a look at the room. Everything in the room, sans the bed, would be considered irreparable if magic didn't exist. Drawers had been pulled out and broken apart. The mirror above the bureau had been smashed. The blinds over the windows had been destroyed. There were even areas of splintered wood where, Hermione could only surmise, Ron had shot curse after curse in his rage and sadness.

"Talk."

That was the second time Ron's voice had scared her, and Hermione took a deep breath. She had rehearsed what she had been planning to say from the moment she had left Draco's side, and even now the words had died in her mouth. They died because she knew with all her heart that nothing she could say would alleviate his pain.

Hermione frowned bitterly. "Sorrys mean nothing. I know that. But I… I just couldn't leave with such animosity between us. You and I, we've… We've been through so much together. I owed you some sort of apology, some sort of explanation." She sighed and began fiddling with her sleeves. "Draco and I… It's come to my attention that we have unfinished business. We divorced so quickly, so rashly… It'd been a mistake. I know that now – _we_ know that now. And I don't want you to think that during my time with you my heart was still with Draco. It hadn't been, I _swear_ to you. But those counseling sessions over these past few months were enough to…to make me realize that…my feelings for him were never really gone. They were just…dormant. I tried to fight it off, Ron, I really did. I just wanted to get those divorce papers signed _so badly_. In the end, I couldn't fight it anymore. It wouldn't have been fair to marry you when I knew my heart wasn't completely yours. You deserve more than that."

Ron's ears tinged. "And that's it? That's your apology?"

Hermione sighed. "I know it's not what you want to hear-"

"Damn right it's not what I want to hear!" Ron shouted. His eyes had already been bloodshot, but they had darkened even further with his outburst. "That bloody prick made your life a living hell when you were married to him!"

"The entire marriage hadn't been bad, Ron. Just the last six months-"

"That doesn't excuse him! You're leaving me, someone who wants to give you a better life, for the bastard who pushed you away! Okay, you two reminisced, fine, I get it, but people do it _all the time_ , Hermione. The moment you move back in with him and the days pass by, you'll realize he's still the same, _loathsome_ , and vile creature he ever was. You'll regret it. _I promise you_ , you'll regret it."

Hermione wanted to be angry. She could feel her blood boil at every word Ron said, but the only reason she didn't lash out was because the damage she'd done to him was far worse. Aside from that, he'd said one thing that she agreed with, and it was a point that she had thought on herself.

"I admit that it might not last –the resurgence of feelings I have for him. I know very well that Draco's capable of saying or doing something that will make me hate him. Make me regret… But we know what went wrong now. We could fix it, or at the very least try."

Ron's eyes flashed dangerously as his fists clenched. "Get out."

Hermione's voice hitched. "Ron,"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

"No!" Hermione yelled.

" _YES!_ "

Ron stomped over. He tried pushing her towards the door with the force of an Auror trying to make an arrest. It was the rough way that he was dealing with her that had pushed Hermione over the edge. Yes, she knew he was angry. Yes, she knew he had every right to be. But _no one_ manhandled her, and before she could properly process her actions, she'd slipped her hands onto his chest and pushed with all her might. Ron was caught off-guard and he stumbled back. He stumbled so much that he tripped over his own feet and landed with a thud onto the ground.

He looked up from his spot on the floor, chest heaving, face flushed, and the most profound look of shock displayed on his face. Hermione stood near the door, her chest rising and falling just as fervently as his. She had tears in her eyes as she took in the state of him. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were wet as well.

"He planned this and you know it." Ron said with a hoarse voice. "The moment he found out you were marrying me, he wanted to ruin us."

"He did." Hermione admitted. "I didn't see it at the time, but now I realize that that was his primary intention, yes, however altered it may have become along the way."

Ron sneered. "Living up to the snake that he is _right in front of your face_ and you're still leaving me for him?"

Hermione bit the inside of her jaw. "He had his reasons for doing what he did –not that it makes it right. He's yet to be properly reprimanded for it, and I assure you that he will be."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Ron scoffed and simultaneously grunted as he got up from the floor. "You'll _reprimand him_ for stealing you away from me?"

"I'll reprimand him for thinking that he can reward one wrong doing with another. Ron, he wanted to ruin us because you did it to him and me first."

Ron's eyes widened. "How the bleeding hell…? And you agree with him?!"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Not in such cruel terms, but…I don't deny that part of the reason the idea of divorcing Draco had appealed to me was because of the things you said during those horrible months. Friends are supposed to encourage. In the bigger scheme of things you _knew_ I was happy with him, but instead of telling me that I was being irrational or too harsh or stubborn, you piled on the hate. I was so angry that I accepted it. Be honest. You said and did what you did, not because you were trying to be sympathetic, but because you saw it as the perfect opportunity to get me away from him."

Ron casted his gaze to the ground. When he didn't raise his head back up, Hermione sighed, nodding gently, dashing all hope that she had been wrong about her assessment of him.

"I guess Karma's real, huh?" Ron said softly. He was looking at her again, his anger gone, but a wave of shame living in his features. Hermione shrugged.

"I never really believed in Karma. What I _do_ believe is that life plays out the way that it's meant to." Hermione let out another breath and began playing with her sleeves again. "Legally, Draco and I are still husband and wife. Magically, we're divorced. The both of us are in this…marriage limbo. I want to see what happens."

"And if it doesn't work out?"

Hermione smiled internally at the use of the word "if" instead of "when." "Then I'll start over. How? I don't know, but I'd rather not think that far ahead."

Ron nodded. Silence fell shortly after that and both of them kept their eyes away from each other at all cost.

"The apartment was originally yours." Hermione said suddenly. "It's only right if I'm the one to move out."

Ron's face blanched. "So you're…moving in with Malfoy?"

"No. I…I don't know. Maybe? I don't want to rush into anything with him. Our situation is delicate and it should be treated as such. I'll find an apartment of my own. Of course that means I'll have to stay somewhere until I do. Draco will most likely insist… Merlin, you probably don't want to hear this, do you?"

"Definitely not."

The corners of Ron's mouth twitched upwards and Hermione braved a chuckle. He ran his hands through his hair and let them stay there, presumably tugging on his roots as hard as possible. When he was finished, the clearing of his throat was accompanied with the tears that he had been holding back.

"I need some time away from you, Hermione."

Hermione nodded, a few tears of her own flowing down her cheeks. "I understand."

"I don't know if things could ever be okay between us."

"I understand that too."

"I don't want you to disappear from my life completely." Ron made sure to say. "But I just…not now. Not anytime soon."

"Okay."

Hermione didn't move to hug him. No attempted handshake on either part had been made. They could barely even stomach a glance in the other's direction. And that's how they left it –with the understanding that, for right now, they would stay out of each other's lives until time opened for them to be there again.

* * *

Ginny was the one to escort Hermione through the Weasley family so that she could make it to the fireplace without verbal scrutiny. From her and Ron's apartment she Flooed again and ended up coming through the fireplace where she said she'd meet Draco. And there he was, sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. He didn't even realize that she had come, and she smiled.

"Draco,"

He looked up, his eyes red and tired, and he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her in front of him –still with her engagement ring absent. "How did it go?"

She shrugged. "As well as it could have. He asked for space from me for a while, so…that's that."

"And the rest of the Weasleys?"

"…I'd rather not talk about them."

"Fair enough,"

Draco got up from his spot and walked over to his desk. He picked up something and headed back to Hermione with it in his hands. "For you,"

She eyed the long, velvet box that Draco presented to her and smiled some before taking it from him. "You didn't already start buying me expensive jewelry, did you?"

"No, not yet." Draco grinned. "I thought I'd wait until our anniversary. That's…four months away, right? Five?"

Hermione chuckled. "Three,"

She opened the box and was fully surprised _not_ to see a necklace. Instead she found a folded piece of a paper and furrowed her brow at it. She glanced up at Draco who was still smiling. Confused, she took out the piece of paper and handed him back the box. After unfolding it, she found it to be a receipt with an amount of six-hundred pounds written in the total box and "Dr. Milligan's Counseling Services" in bold block letters at the top.

"You…you signed us up for more counseling sessions?"

Draco nodded. "I want us to work, Hermione. Dr. Milligan is a fantastic counselor. He's good for us."

Hermione ached a brow, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Giving praise to a muggle, are we?"

"Not a muggle. Turns out he's a squib."

"Seriously? How'd you find that out?"

"Long story,"

Hermione laughed. "Well, I didn't see that one coming." She continued staring at the payment receipt in her hand and couldn't help the warmth flowing through her the longer she did. A contented sigh left her and she looked up at him. "This is…good, Draco. I'm really glad you did this."

"Good to know I'm doing something right." Draco blushed some. "There's something else."

For the first time since entering the room, Hermione noticed the same book he had once taken from off one of the shelves sitting on his desk. Her calm suddenly rose to a panic as Draco took out her engagement ring and he started walking towards her.

"Draco, I know we're starting over, but-"

"I'm not asking you to wear it." He interrupted. "At least not in the way you're thinking."

Hermione watched as he took out a silver chain from his pocket and slipped the ring onto it. He walked behind her and carefully put it on her. She looked down at the ring as it hung beautifully around her neck. She smiled at it and smiled even more when Draco's wrapped around her.

"It's yours." He said, his soothing voice tickling the nape of her neck. "You should have it. Hopefully, it'll be on your finger again when we're ready."

"Yes…when we're ready." Hermione repeated. She closed her eyes, suddenly realizing how much she missed this. How much she missed _him_. It wasn't just in things they did together, or the petty arguments that made them laugh at each other's expense. It was this. Just being there. But of course, one of them would always ruin it. Romance wasn't them. And Hermione grinned evilly as she turned around in Draco's arms."So you _did_ already start buying me expensive jewelry."

Draco smirked. "It wasn't that expensive."

"How much?"

"…Alright, so it wasn't that expensive _for me_."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Rich spoiled brat."

" _Your_ rich spoiled brat." Draco corrected and leaned his forehead against hers. "And thank you for the compliment. Stubborn wench,"

They both laughed. Quiet ensued. A kiss followed. And for the first time in four –no, _five_ years, their hearts finally felt whole.

* * *

 **Author's note:** And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of _Til Death Do Us Part_. (The scene with Ron and Hermione was the hardest to write btw.)

BUT, in case you haven't noticed, I didn't change the status of the story to "Complete." That's because I honestly couldn't leave the story just like this. There are too many questions like does Hermione and Draco's relationship work out this second time around? What about Ron? Will he be okay? And so, chapter 15 will be the epilogue. It's a ridiculously long chapter, but there'll be no loose ends after that :).

I'll be posting it on Tuesday, not Thursday, because on Wednesday I'll be flying to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Orlando)! SO excited, if you couldn't tell... If any of you have been before, please feel free to PM me and let me know what I absolutely have to check out! I don't want to miss anything :)

-WP


	15. Epilogue: Therapy

**June 2009**

"Liam, _please_ tell her that it's completely unnecessary for her to move out."

"Draco," Dr. Milligan chided, although with a grin. "It's 'Dr. Milligan' when we're on the clock, you know that."

Draco scowled. "How much longer until the session is over?"

"Twenty minutes. Then we can chat…over tea."

" _Strong_ tea,"

Dr. Milligan chuckled. Strong tea indeed. He'd had to expand his liquor drawer because of his favorite client, and quite frankly, he was surprised at Draco's _very_ high tolerance. He looked over at Hermione who was rolling her eyes. Her engagement ring hung beautifully on her chain before being obscured by a crossing of her arms.

"We've already discussed this, Draco." Hermione said to him. "I was only going to stay with you until I could find my own place."

"I know. And to use your favorite word, it's _ridiculous_." Draco enunciated clearly. He then smirked at her, taking her hand in his and stroking it gently with his thumb. "You're only going to spend your nights with me anyway."

Hermione tried her best not to blush furiously. Despite moving back into her old home with her husband in March, she had slept in one of the spare bedrooms. That arrangement lasted until May. In the middle of that month she'd accidentally fallen asleep in what was once theirs-turned-his bedroom. His arms had proven to be quite comfortable as she lay against him, Draco holding a book he was reading out loud for both of them. Since then they both had slept in the same bed and _only_ slept. That particular arrangement lasted until the beginning of the current month. Draco's birthday, to be exact. And no matter how much she didn't want to, Hermione had to admit that that was yet another thing she had missed about their marriage.

"We're supposed to be taking this slow. And okay, we've become a bit of a failure at that as of late," Hermione added quickly at the look Draco was giving her. "But I still want to do this."

Draco groaned and then subsequently sighed. "Alright, alright. But one-year leases only."

"Deal,"

"At a reasonable distance away from me,"

"Fine,"

"With no male tenants as your neighbors,"

"How the hell am I supposed to control that?"

"Oh, you just leave that bit to me."

Hermione huffed. "Typical,"

" _So,_ " Dr. Milligan interrupted loudly. "Have you two decided how the dynamics of your relationship will work once you're not living in the same house?"

Hermione shot Draco one last look before answering. "It'll be exactly the same. Just modified a bit. Dinners outside instead of in-"

"I won't wake up in the morning in a deathly choke hold-" Draco laughed as she playfully hit him.

"He'll go out with his friends and I'll..." She paused, frowning shortly after. Draco's laugh died immediately and he held her hand comfortingly before turning his attention to Dr. Milligan.

"Her friends haven't exactly come to terms yet."

"Harry has." Hermione said. "And Ginny, sort of. As for the rest of them, I can't really blame them, can I? They're Ron's family."

"How is Ron doing?" Dr. Milligan asked. Hermione sighed.

"From what Ginny tells me, not so good. We were supposed to get married this month."

* * *

 **June 2010**

"So, how was the honeymoon?"

Hermione grinned. "Fantastic,"

"Exhausting, –ow!"

Draco massaged his pinched arm and stared at his wife's utterly red face. He was confused at first, but then he slyly smirked. "I wasn't talking about _that_. We did go sightseeing, you know. But...yes, _that_ was equally exhausting."

Hermione was redder than red now and Dr. Milligan did the polite thing by pretending to be interested in his cuticles.

The wedding had been small, but bigger by comparison to the tiny chapel they had found in the middle of the night six years ago. They got married in the private gardens of Iverson Square Park. With the exception of the occasional camera flash of Daily Prophet and other newspaper photographers, it was just the quiet, intimate ceremony they had wanted as they said their vows and their hearts linked once again under a large, beautifully decorated gazebo.

The guests were few, but that was to be expected. Hermione's parents were there, naturally, and Cressida, her Ministry colleague. Voldemort would have sooner showed up than any of the Weasley's, so she wasn't sad about it albeit a little lonely without her closest friends. Harry had wanted to be there to support her, but with reporters sure to be there and not wanting Ron to hate him, it was a no go. As for Draco's side, despite her protestations, Narcissa had actually turned up. This time last year she had come back from the south of France where she was every year to avoid the cool autumns and frigid winters. It went without saying that she was more than surprised that her son was dating again, but more so that he was dating his ex-wife. Their reunion did _not_ bode well with the blonde-haired woman, and Draco had stood back in surprise as Hermione and his mother went at it when they first saw each other again. _"You couldn't have thought to mention you were back together_ _ **with**_ _ **her**_ _in a single letter?!"_ And yet despite hating Hermione, she loved her son, and so yes, she was at the wedding and looking as regal and elegant as ever. Had Pansy and Blaise not been away on holiday (or so they said), they would have been there as well. However, their presence would have shocked Hermione far less than Astoria's, linked arm-in-arm with her future second husband.

No reception had been planned on Draco and Hermione's part, but Narcissa had taken it upon herself to plan one without their foreknowledge. As they all prepared to leave, Hermione had taken one last look at the scenery. And that's when she had seen it. A wisp of red hair and a bit of black appearing in the air, only to disappear again as though it was never there. Hermione smiled. She wasn't sure where they were now, but she mouthed a thank you before disapparating with Draco.

* * *

 **November 2010**

Dr. Milligan had been in his office for no more than ten minutes when he heard hard footsteps clamoring down the hallway. He didn't need to look up to know who that gait belonged to and merely smiled when her shout hit his ears.

"Draco is driving me crazy!"

Dr. Milligan laughed and turned to her. "When doesn't he?"

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and plopped herself down on the couch. "I don't mean crazy like angry, I mean crazy like _crazy_. Ever since I got pregnant he's been so... _unbearable_. He whines and complains every morning when I leave for work. When I'm home every minute he's at my side asking, 'Do you need anything?' 'Are you _sure_ you don't want anything?' 'Are you really, _really_ sure you don't want anything?' He won't let me do anything around the house –and to make sure I don't, he got his old house elf back for the duration of my pregnancy!"

"Okay, so he's doing a lot, but Hermione, you know it's only because Draco cares about you. He just wants you to be okay. No worries, no stress."

"I know, and in hindsight it's very sweet, but-"

"And," Dr. Milligan interrupted. "Despite what he says, he still thinks that the miscarriage from your 'first' marriage was his fault."

Hermione frowned. Yes, she knew that too. She sighed then and soon felt Dr. Milligan's hand cover her own.

"Let him have this one."

* * *

 **March 2011**

"Absolutely not!"

"Oh, come on, what's wrong with it? It's far better than Cassiopeia."

"I agree, but Ara just sounds so... _painful_ to say. Ah-ra... I'm on the verge of retching just saying it."

"Are you sure it's not just because you're pregnant?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and finally appealed to Dr. Milligan who had been desperately holding in his laughter for the better part of five minutes.

"Let me guess, baby name trouble?"

"Please tell him that Ara is a horrible name."

"Please tell _her_ that it's Ara or Cassiopeia."

"And why is it that those two names are the only options?"

"Family on my mother's side are always, for the most part, named after constellations. I want to keep up with the tradition and those two are the only ones suitable for a girl."

Dr. Milligan's eyes lit up. "So you're having a girl then?"

"We don't know." Hermione answered him. "We want to be surprised."

"Ah, I see. So what are the boy name options?"

"Don't need them." Draco smiled. "We're having a girl. I'm a thousand percent sure about it."

Dr. Milligan chuckled. "And if it's a boy?"

Hermione grinned. "Then he owes me a three-day getaway in Miami, Florida at a muggle resort."

Dr. Milligan finally let out that laugh he had been holding in from the moment they had walked into his office. "Oh, I hope it's a boy."

* * *

 **June 2011**

Dr. Milligan stood at a long table picking at hors d'oeuvres while his wife was off to the side chatting with a particularly brightly-dressed witch. Luna Scamander, he believed her name was. Although his colleagues would have probably frowned at his "unprofessional behavior" (that whole jazz about not fraternizing with your clients), he didn't feel a shred of guilt about accepting Draco and Hermione's baby shower invitation when they had asked. They were the most interesting clients he had ever had, and he couldn't deny, especially in terms of Draco, that they had quickly become very good friends

"So, you must be the infamous Dr. Milligan." A petite redheaded woman said with a small smile on her face. He recognized her instantly as Ginny Potter, current Quiditch news reporter for the Daily Prophet after retiring from the Hollyhead Harpies last year. She was sporting a baby bump nearly as large as Hermione.

"And you're Ginny Potter." He grinned broadly as he shook her hand. "My children are going to have a field day when I tell them I met you."

Ginny's eyes lighted up. "Fans of the team, are they? Tell you what, I'll send some memorabilia with Hermione next time she sees you."

"Oh, that would be great! Thank you!"

"No, thank _you_." Ginny insisted. She briefly turned her attention away from him and Dr. Milligan followed her eyes. They had settled on Draco who was helping Hermione to get out of her chair. She looked absolutely infuriated with the four-legged device, while he was the happiest anyone had ever seen him. Once she was up on her feet Hermione laughed. Draco took her hand then, and they began walking towards the second of three hors d'oeuvre tables.

Ginny sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Dr. Milligan. I love my brother. And yes, sometimes I do regret what happened and wished Hermione had married him. But when I look at her and Malfoy together… There's just a happiness there that I can't explain. It's…it's different."

Dr. Milligan nodded. Although he had never seen Hermione and Ron together he just couldn't imagine her being as happy with anyone other than Draco. His eyes caught them again; this time they were talking to Neville Longbottom. The good doctor had to choke back a laugh when he realized that Draco _obviously_ didn't want to, but Hermione was clutching his hand so tightly that the only way to get out of her grip would be to cut the hand off.

"Your brother doesn't know you're here, does he?"

"Oh, he does." Ginny replied. "He didn't even try to talk me out of coming. No fits. No cold stares. I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing."

Dr. Milligan was confused. "Why would that be bad?"

"Because my brother's stubborn. He doesn't just _concede_ like that. He fights tooth and nail about and for everything. I'm worried about him."

Dr. Milligan was quiet for a while. Before Mrs. Potter took this as a sign that the conversation had ended, he dug into the inside of his suit jacket pocket and handed her a small business card. "Tell him to come see me sometime."

Ginny looked at him strangely as she took the card. "I thought you only did marriage counseling?"

"I do. But your brother seems to be fighting with someone just the same."

Ginny furrowed his brow. "That can't be. He and Hermione haven't spoken since-"

"Not with Hermione," Dr. Milligan interrupted. "With himself."

* * *

 **January 2012**

"So, how was Miami?" Dr. Milligan asked with a taunting smirk. Hermione was wearing a smirk of her own while her husband was grumbling bitterly with his arms crossed over his chest.

Draco huffed before stubbornly mumbling, "It was nice."

* * *

 **August 2012**

"Murder me, Liam." Draco said as he plopped himself down on the couch. Dr. Milligan stared at him with a raised brow before pulling out the two short glasses and the bottle of firewhiskey he reserved for when Draco called him "Liam."

"What's crawled up your arse and died this time?"

Draco scowled at him and took the alcoholic beverage from his friend's hand. "My mother's coming to visit."

"So? She's visited before."

"Yes, for dinner or afternoon tea. She's coming to visit and _stay_ for a full week. A week! She only puts up with Hermione because she knows how much she means to me, but that doesn't mean she'll completely behave."

"Draco, I doubt it'll be a repeat of Christmas."

He shivered. Merlin, he hoped not. Draco had gone to put Scorpius to bed and left Hermione to begin putting decorations onto the tree. By the time he'd come back to the living room, his wife and his mother were both red in the face and yelling at each other. Draco had no doubt that his mother had started it, especially after she had gracefully dismissed herself from the room, grumbling about mudbloods and their muggle-loving ways.

Dr. Milligan topped off his and Draco's glasses. "It'll be fine."

"You don't know my mother."

"No, but I do know Hermione. She can handle anything that comes her way."

"I know that, but-"

"If you know, then no butts." Dr. Milligan smiled. Draco wanted to argue, but knew he would be shut down at every turn. And rightly so. Eventually he sighed and nodded.

"Alright, go on."

Dr. Milligan furrowed his brow. "Go on, what?"

"Say what the counselor in you is dying to say."

"I'd have to charge you." He chuckled. Draco smirked.

"Take it out of the bet money I owe you."

"Fair enough." Dr. Milligan agreed as he set his drink down. "You need to stop doubting your wife when things like this pop up. Remember that it was _your_ doubts that helped encourage her to want a divorce in the first place. She's a strong woman and married you knowing all the problems you would face."

Draco nodded and tossed back the rest of his drink. "Okay. I'll work on it. Now, how much of that bet did your words of wisdom knock off?"

Dr. Milligan paused for a moment, then grinned. "About a quarter of it."

"Huh, that all? Let's talk a little more then, shall we? Hermione's already throwing a fit about baby names for our second kid."

* * *

 **December 2012**

Dr. Milligan stared at Draco in surprise as he walked in sporting a fresh black eye and a couple other bruises on his face and hands. If he looked this bad from what could be seen, under his clothes must've been some sight.

"Merlin, what happened to you?"

"Ron," Hermione answered with a frown. Although she, Harry, and Ginny were on good terms now and the rest of the Weasley family weren't giving her the cold shoulder anymore, today had been the first time she'd seen Ron since that evening back at the Burrow. When he had determined that they needed space, he had meant it.

"We wanted to go to Diagon Alley before coming here so that's what we did. Just before leaving we saw him."

"And the blighter walked right up and punched me!" Draco scowled mercilessly. "He's lucky Hermione was there or else he would've gotten more than a right hook to the jaw."

Quite frankly Draco was lucky too. After giving Ron a good one, the redhead was right back on him. Hermione was certain that her ex-fiancé wouldn't have stopped had he not seen her pull out her wand. That and finally noticing that she was in "delicate condition" and shouldn't be that close to a fight.

"I'm glad you held back, Draco."

Draco looked at his wife, then down at her five months along stomach, and sighed. "You're worth more than a stupid fight. Either that or I've become ridiculously soft."

Hermione laughed and tiptoed to kiss him on the forehead. Her husband may have been many things, but he was anything but soft.

* * *

 **May 2013**

"Liam, do you think I could get a shorter Azkaban sentence since I'm a war heroine?"

Needless to say that Hermione's question had startled Dr. Milligan. He had dropped the folders he was carrying and left them on the floor as he stared at her quizzically. "Come again?"

"I'm _this_ close to committing murder." Hermione explained as she raised two almost touching fingers together. "The only reason I haven't done it yet is because Draco loves that woman he calls _mother_."

"Oh," Dr. Milligan answered, an amused grin filling his features. He chuckled and bent down to pick up his fallen folders as Hermione went over to help. "What happened this time?"

"Her mouth, what else?" She grumbled. "Draco went to get Scorpius ready while I went to Orion's room. I knew Narcissa was in the house because she _insists_ on having breakfast with us on Friday mornings, but I didn't expect to find her in our son's room. So I stopped, completely surprised, and stood in the doorway. To be honest, the sight actually looked kind of sweet. Orion was awake and Narcissa was holding him. Then she had the _audacity_ to say that he was a handsome little boy _**for a halfbood**_ _._ Can you believe that?! Then she went on to say that it was a shame that his mother, that _**I**_ was a 'mudblood.' Liam, I could've hexed her right then and there if she wasn't holding my son."

"Merlin, I'm sorry to hear that." Dr. Milligan frowned. All of the folders were in his hands now and he and Hermione were back on their feet. "Did you tell Draco?"

"No, I didn't. He was in such a good mood this morning that I didn't want to ruin it. I just… I don't know what to do about her. I'm not worried about Orion; he's only a month old. But Scorpius? He's almost two and he's a sponge! I'm dreading the day he asks me what a 'mudblood' is and why his grandmother keeps calling me one. I don't want my children exposed to what Draco was."

"Has Draco talked to his mother about her behavior?"

"Countless times!" Hermione threw her hands in the air. "But I finally see where he gets his stubbornness from. As horrible as it is for me to say, I'm just thankful Draco's father is rotting away in Azkaban. I don't think I could take _both_ of them slewing such comments around my family. What if…" Her words trailed off and her face became sad. "What if her words sink in? What if my kids start to believe-?"

"They won't." Dr. Milligan said sternly. "You and Draco are their parents, not Narcissa. They'll grow up loving everyone and everything. And perhaps become a bit cynical with a love of firewhiskey later in life thanks to your husband."

Hermione laughed. Luckily he limited himself to one short glass after dinner. She did the same with wine, although two was quite the norm whenever Narcissa was present.

* * *

 **September 2013**

Dr. Milligan often hummed to himself when he was in a good mood. He'd seen six clients today, all who had made progress within their marriages including one teary-eyed breakthrough. Draco passed by earlier on his way to meet Hermione at Eileen's Tea and Pastries and invited him and his wife to dinner at the house. He had accepted and was now setting up his desk in order so that he could head home, shower, change clothes, and let his wife do the honors of apparating them to the Malfoy residence.

Just as he had finally set aside the last folder, there was a knock on his door. Dr. Milligan looked up, surprised at the face that seemed unsure about what he was doing there.

"Mr. Weasley,"

Ron shuffled his feet uneasily. "You can call me Ron."

"Alright then, Ron. What can I do for you?"

Ron took the opportunity to sit on the sofa in the room and anxiously rubbed his hands on his thighs. "My sister gave me your card a really long time ago. I never once thought about using it until now."

"What made you?"

"My girlfriend,"

Dr. Milligan nodded. A few months ago Hermione had told him that Ginny said her brother had begun seeing someone. She had been so happy and relieved to hear that he had moved on. She really wanted the best for him and this proved that things were going in the right direction. Though, as he stared at the uncertain face of the man before him, things were most certainly not going that well.

"What about her?"

Ron sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I've been seeing her for a while now. I love her, I really do, but she doesn't think so. She thinks that I'm still stuck on Hermione and what happened between us after all this time."

"Are you?"

"…I'll never stop loving her, much like she never stopped with Malfoy. It's not enough to want to be with her again, although a couple punches to the git's face last year might say otherwise."

Dr. Milligan remembered that. It certainly had looked like more than a "couple" punches. "If you don't want Hermione back, then what do you think your girlfriend is sensing from you that she doesn't think you're fully committed?"

"That's something for you to ask her." Ron said with a slight chuckle. He had resumed rubbing his hands along his thighs again and stared at the floor. "But there is one thing that still bothers me." He looked up then, his face stricken in pain as he spoke his next bit. "It's just…Malfoy did the _same exact thing_ that I did, and yet she's still with him. She fully accepted the fact that he purposefully broke us up and it's just… _okay_. How is it okay?"

"That's something to ask her." Dr. Milligan repeated Ron's words. "But from someone who's gotten to know her pretty well, I'd say it's because she loved him first. And your first love is…well, it's always the strongest. She would have been quite lost without him, and vice versa. Of that, I'm positive. And the only way for _you_ to be okay, is to come to terms with the fact that Hermione's happy."

"Oh, I have come to terms with that. I just hate the fact that it's Malfoy who's making her happy."

Dr. Milligan grinned. "Draco hated the same thing about you."

Ron smiled. "Stupid git."

"Yeah, he is. But he's a git who has someone to give a good life to. _You_ have someone in your life to make happy too, Ron." Dr. Milligan continued. "Don't give her a reason to doubt you."

* * *

 **October 2015**

"Oh, thank Merlin someone other than _Draco's_ side of the world is here." Hermione said with relief washing over her face as she opened the front door. Dr. Milligan stared at her with a brow cocked as his wife, Marlena, laughed and noticed the half empty wine glass in the hostess' hand.

"Who's here that's got you digging into that wine bottle so early?" Marlena asked as she entered the house.

"In addition Draco's dreadful mother, Pansy and Blaise are here as well as Astoria and Niles. I can't believe that Astoria is the one that I actually like. What on earth has the world come to?"

"The end," Dr. Milligan answered as he laughed along with his wife. They followed Hermione into the tea room where they'd all be waiting until the rest of the dinner guests arrived. It's how it always went once a month when the Malfoys held a dinner with their family and closest friends. Dr. Milligan and his wife had been coming to these for the past year when they began and they always turned out quite…interesting, to say the least.

There was the one time when Narcissa had said an awful comment about squibs when she had no idea that Dr. Milligan was one. There was a night when Ginny and Pansy had nearly cursed each other to bits right at the dinner table after a crass comment about Hermione leaving her brother for Draco being an "excellent decision on the mudblood's part." There'd also been a rather amusing dinner when Blaise had gotten drunk enough to divulge the secret that Draco had been particularly "drooling" over Hermione when he had seen her at the school's Yule Ball and harbored a crush ever since.

Despite the possible ups and downs each dinner could hold, everyone always came back. Whether it was for the purpose of stirring up trouble or merely to witness said trouble, Dr. Milligan wasn't sure. What he _was_ sure of, however, was that he'd be going back home with a story for him and wife to laugh over.

"Where are the children?" Narcissa asked her son. If there was one thing Dr. Milligan could commend the woman on was the fact that she always saw to her grandchildren's needs, however awkward her ways were.

"Scorpius and Orion are with Hermione's parents for the weekend." Draco replied as he handed Dr. Milligan and Marlena drinks. "And Arie's upstairs sleeping."

" _Ara_ ," Narcissa corrected. "'Arie' sounds so childish."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "She's an _infant_. And Draco and I will call her whatever we please."

"Oh," Blaise grinned broadly. "The claws are coming out early tonight."

"Watch it, Zabini." Draco warned. Blaise said nothing more but continued to smile and tossed back what might have been his second or third shot –on an empty stomach no less. The doorbell rang yet again and Hermione was off to answer it. Pansy scoffed.

"Draco, why don't you just get a house elf?"

"Hermione hates the idea of house elves. You know this."

"Of _course_ she does." Narcissa drawled. "Soon enough she'll have you and the children living in a muggle town where they'll persecute you at the first sign of Scorpius' accidental magic."

" _Mother_ ,"

"Oh relax. Your mudblood wife didn't hear me."

"Mother, what did I say about calling her-?"

"Do you want anything to drink?" Came Hermione's voice as she neared with Harry and Ginny in tow.

"No, I'm okay." Ginny answered. "You, Harry?"

"I'm fine. Just starving."

"Looks like we can head straight to the dining room then." Draco announced from inside the room. He led the large group out of the tea room just as Hermione, Harry, and Ginny made it to the door. Dr. Milligan and Marlena greeted the Potters happily and soon his wife and Ginny were talking animatedly about the latest thing the redhead had written in the Daily Prophet Quiditch news section. He, on the other hand, stayed close to the rear of the group as he watched the others. Despite not being on the clock, the counselor in him was always ever curious to the behaviors of others.

He noted Narcissa's haughty disposition, always present no matter the time of day. Pansy and Blaise were always the ones to get sloshed first and seemed to be the pair who came to these things to see a good show. Ginny was the fiery one –quick to defend Hermione whenever anyone got out of line and not afraid to draw her wand if it became necessary. Harry often tried to play mediator, not to mention to calm down his hot-tempered wife. Draco tried his hardest to reign in his mother when, to use Blaise's words, her "claws" came out. Hermione, and quite impressively, always fought back in a calm, even tone to make most Slytherins (including the ones at the dinner table) very proud. Marlena and himself always sat back and watched so long as no questions were directed at them. It was definitely what one would call a dinner and a show.

"How's your niece doing?" Dr. Milligan heard Hermione ask Ginny.

"Oh, she's lovely. Despite being two months old Ron's still terrified he's going to drop her."

Hermione laughed. "Draco was the same way. He'll get used to it."

"That's what Evelyn and I keep telling him. Also, he um…knows about Arie. Since she and Rose are basically the same age, he figured when they're a bit older they could…you know…have playdates."

" _Seriously?_ "

Ginny nodded. "I was just as shocked as you, believe me. And don't worry, I made sure he wasn't drinking when he'd said it. So…what should I tell him?"

"Tell him…that it'd be nice."

* * *

 **September 2022**

Dr. Milligan sat at a booth at Eileen's Tea and Pastries and sipping on tea when his lunch guests walked in. Since ending their counseling sessions _years_ ago, he still saw Draco and Hermione pretty often whether it was for lunch during the week, dinners in the evening, or a night at the pub with Draco as his drinking buddy. As his companions walked in, he took note of Draco's sorrowful disposition and Hermione's quite humorous one.

"What's wrong with him?"

Hermione smiled broadly as she sat down and Draco sat down next to her. "We were on a Floo call with Scorpius before we came here."

"Is he alright?"

Draco finally looked at Dr. Milligan. "My son… _My son_ is a… He's a…"

Hermione laughed as she rubbed her husband's back. "Here, let me help you with that. Say it with me now. Gry- _ffin_ - _ **dor**_."

Draco shivered as Dr. Milligan laughed loudly. "Is that all? Merlin, I thought someone died."

"No, no one died." Hermione continued to giggle. "Draco's just being, well, _him_. He simply fails to realize that this is good for Scorpius. He would've known no one in Slytherin House, while in Gryffindor there's Albus in his sixth year to show him the ropes. Not to mention he'll be with Lily who's his best friend!"

"Oh, I bet Harry and Ginny are happy to know that she got sorted into Gryffindor too." Dr. Milligan said brightly.

"They're ecstatic."

"Well, of course they're ecstatic." Draco grumbled. "The whole family is a horde of Gryffindors."

Hermione was laughing yet again and she kissed her husband on the forehead. "It's alright, grumpy. We've still got two more children to go."

* * *

 **September 2024**

 _Evening Liam,_

 _Draco and I are having a wonderful time in Paris, thanks for asking! I had to do something to take his mind off the fact that Orion got sorted into Gryffindor like his brother. Just as before, I find it absolutely hilarious while he's pouting like a baby. Did I also neglect to mention that Narcissa's cursing up an unladylike storm because of it as well? It's rather adorable on Draco, but on Narcissa, not so much._

 _Unfortunately, we got word today that Orion already has detention. However, I can't help but feel a bit proud for the reason why. Apparently, a couple Slytherins were making fun of a fellow First-Year on the fact that her father is a squib. A fight ensued and now he and the two boys he was fighting with are assigned to trophy-shining duty. But as for the reason why I'm mentioning it, do you know who the First-Year was?_

 _Irina Milligan._

 _I know you were worried about her going off to school, but I think with my son around she'll have no problems._

 _Hermione_

* * *

 **September 2026**

"A round for the whole pub!" Draco shouted merrily. Dr. Milligan stared at him in surprise as he was presented with his own shot of firewhiskey. "Cheers!"

His glass was clinked with Draco's and the blonde chugged his, soon after calling for another.

"You're in a pleasant mood. What's got you so happy?"

"I know you're not supposed to pick favorites with your kids, but Arie sure does take the prize right about now." Draco grinned. "My beautiful little girl who looks _everything_ like her mother was sorted into Slytherin today."

"Oh really now?" Dr. Milligan replied with a true look of surprise. "Here I was thinking that the Malfoy family line was turning into Gryffindors."

"I was thinking it too, I've got to admit. But my sweet Arie…she didn't let daddy down. Thank Merlin."

Dr. Milligan shook his head at him and politely asked the bartender for a refill. "How's Hermione taking the news?"

"Fretting beyond measure."

"She of all people should know that being a Slytherin isn't terrible. She did marry one after all."

"Oh, that's not why she's upset. Aside from the fact that Arie and Rose didn't get sorted into the same House, Astoria's kids got sorted into Slytherin too. And you can't forget that Pansy and Blaise's son is there as well."

"Ah," Dr. Milligan nodded. "Yes, that makes sense now. I can imagine what Hermione must be thinking. Arie, Quintin and Yvette, and Lincoln all become even closer friends and spend the summer weekends at your house playing with snakes and other reptiles in the backyard."

"And you mustn't forget that they'd mess around with Dark Arts books in their spare time and test out spells on defenseless animals." Draco chuckled. "My wife's imagination is ridiculous and equally hilarious."

"So, what were you doing with your friends when you were eleven?"

"…Feeding petrified mice to my pet snake." Draco mumbled.

* * *

 **June 2032**

When the Malfoys threw a celebration it was always momentous, but when both they _and_ the Potters got together for a party? It was bigger than one could imagine. Dr. Milligan and his wife were greeted with familiar faces as they entered _Magical Moments Dining Hall_ located just outside of London.

Both families had come to the agreement that if Draco and Hermione paid for the venue (because, of course, Draco would insist that they –that _he_ –did anyway), Harry and Ginny would decorate. Scorpius and Lily had wanted to help, naturally, but neither sets of parents allowed them to do a single thing. And so, they were just as surprised and happy to see such a grand gathering.

Dr. Milligan smiled as he looked at the beautifully done banner that hung from one end of the room to the other: _Congratulations Scorpius and Lily!_

If anyone had said that the child of Harry Potter would be getting married to the child of Draco Malfoy surely that person would've been committed. Quite frankly, Dr. Milligan hadn't believed it himself until he and his wife had gotten the official invitation to the party. He chuckled as he surveyed his surroundings as he often did.

This time around the gathering was the oddest hodgepodge he'd yet to see. There were the regulars he was accustomed to seeing from the monthly Malfoy dinner parties such as Blaise and Pansy who were standing next to the bar and toasting early with their first (or Dr. Milligan hoped was their first) drinks of the night. Narcissa was tutting every now and again and rearranging decorations that she thought were inappropriately done. Ginny was watching the woman with anger in her eyes while Harry was doing his best to keep his wife from saying or doing something that she'd regret. He left it up to Draco to deal with his mother who complied, but immediately went back to what she had been doing while he was otherwise preoccupied. Hermione was with Lily and Luna as they talked and laughed, soon joined by Astoria with whom the mother of the groom clinked glasses with and smiled.

Dr. Milligan still thought that Hermione and Astoria's friendship was unfathomable, but somehow very real. His eyes then gravitated to Astoria's husband, Niles, who was with his son, Quintin, Blaise's son Lincoln, as well as Scorpius over by the table full of appetizers. Orion was trying his hardest to get Irina to dance, even going as far as enlisting Hugo, Ron's fourteen-year-old son, to persuade the bashful witch. Dr. Milligan smiled at his daughter who blushed once she realized he was looking at her.

James and Albus were already out on the dance floor with their significant others –wife and fiancé, respectively. Albus' wedding was coming up in the fall. Dr. Milligan's two oldest children, Donovan and Lisa, were also out on the dance floor with their spouses. Even after all this time they were still super excited about being invited to any event that involved the famous Potters. Dr. Milligan spied Arie, Rose, and Yvette talking excitedly, probably already wondering about the type of dress they hoped Lily would have them wearing as her bridesmaids. Despite being in separate Houses, that didn't stop Arie and Rose from keeping up their childhood friendship, and through association, Rose became good friends with Yvette despite her father's grumblings (or so Dr. Milligan heard through the Potter-Malfoy grapevine).

And said father, through various members of the Weasley family, the Longbottoms, the Scamanders, and Notts, Ron was standing near the corner of the room with his wife. Some of his brothers had just walked off to go pick at some of the refreshments and now Evelyn seemed to be encouraging him to mingle with the other people in the room. Although, much like getting his daughter to dance, Dr. Milligan was quite sure that that feat might not be possible –especially since those whom he would most likely talk to were all with those whom he _wouldn't_ talk to.

Dr. Milligan had to commend the man for coming though. Any of the Weasleys, really. They were there to support the children -Lily specifically, since everyone knew she would've thrown the biggest combination of fit, outrage, and guilt-trip mojo had they not. Not to mention that Ginny would've murdered them. As for Ron, over the years, he and Hermione's relationship had grown from not speaking to each other to the customary, "Hey, how are you?" and followed by simple pleasantries, talks of their children, and then letting the conversation drop to silence. They never managed to reach the point of a comfortable friendship, and Dr. Milligan was quite sure that they never would. But at least there were no punches thrown in Draco's face or vice versa. And Evelyn was always nice to Hermione. It had been she to urge Ron to allow Rose to play with Arie while growing up. It had been her attempt to try to get him pass the residual feelings he'd had towards his and Hermione's mess of a breakup. It had worked (for the most part), and although Ron would never boast it around, he actually thought Arie to be a very nice child –her brothers too.

"Stop grimacing." Came Draco's voice. He heard a huff that could come from none other than Hermione and Dr. Milligan turned to the pair who were walking up to him.

"I'm not _grimacing_."

"Yes, you are. Liam, is that not the face of a woman who's grimacing?"

"Oh, I know better than to answer a question like that." Dr. Milligan chuckled. "What's the matter?"

"Arie's with Lincoln again." Hermione grumbled, her eyes obviously spotting her daughter with Lincoln who had just finished out his last year at Hogwarts. Arie was going into her seventh this upcoming September. Draco rolled his eyes.

"They're _dating_." Draco told her. "They're kind of going to be in close proximity to each other. Dancing, holding hands, kissing-"

"Ugh, please don't ever say that again." She said with a scrunched up face. "That's the last thing I'd like to envision –especially with _Lincoln_. I still don't understand how you're so calm about this."

"Easy. When we picked Arie up from King's Cross Station I pulled him aside and calmly, but effectively, promised to torture, then kill him, if he ever hurt her."

Hermione's mouth dropped. "Draco, that's terrible!"

"Perhaps, but at least you know he won't hurt her. The kid's deathly afraid of me." Draco chuckled.

Hermione obviously wanted to admonish him further, but the deed had already been done so she sighed. " _Regardless_ , I still don't like it. I mean out of _everyone_ Arie could've at least gone for Quintin!"

Draco cocked a brow at her. " _Astoria's_ son?" He laughed then and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Well damn, I never thought I'd see the day something like _that_ would be coming out of your mouth."

Dr. Milligan grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day that _you'd_ be alright with one of your children marrying a Potter."

"Of course I'm fine with Scorpius marrying Lily." Draco smiled broadly. "She'll be a Malfoy. I get to live out the rest of my life knowing that Potter has to live out the rest of _his_ with his daughter _as a_ _Malfoy_. Can you think of anything better than that?"

Hermione gave him a playful slap on the chest as he laughed again. After all these years, Draco was still very much the same. Well no, Dr. Milligan couldn't exactly say that. Despite how it looked now, the blonde was much more mindful of his words –especially around his wife. Hermione did her best not to let his mother or friends (or her own for that matter) to put doubts in her mind. She also tried not to complain as much whenever her husband went on a lavish spending spree on her or the children –although she was now quite adamant at trying to convince him _not_ to suggest his wedding venue of choice that was over five-hundred thousand galleons.

All Dr. Milligan could do was marvel at the sight. Not just at Draco and Hermione, still desperately in love in their own odd way, but at the entire dining hall. This cluster of people, this hodgepodge as he'd called it once before, would have never happened were it not for them. And to think, all it took was a little therapy and a little nudging to know that love was worth pursuing.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Well, that's the end! This story was an absolute pleasure to write and all of your comments gave the best encouragement –not just for the story, but as an author as well! There were so many different positions to take when reading this and I really valued everything you all had to say. What you liked, didn't, improvements, etc.

The only other story I'm working on right now is the third installment of "The Condemned Series." It doesn't have very many chapters to go and I hope to be finishing it by June. (Family is visiting so no alone time for me to get my "writer's mode" on). In terms of anything new, I don't have anything ready just yet (sorry!), but do check out my profile page for a list of stories that I'm working on and hope to post soon. And yes, I'm writing them all at once. And yes, I promise you, I have a social life haha. I just really like to write.

Thanks so much for all the support :)

-WP


End file.
